Symphony of Love and Hate
by kargen5747
Summary: Marinette and Adrien finally have their first date, but it doesn't go quite as planned. In the meantime, Nathalie continues to use the peacock miraculous, ignoring the dangers it poses to herself. (Timeline-wise: this story picks up at the end of season 2)
1. Part 1 - Chapter 1

_I'm going to do it,_ Marinette told herself.

Of course, she had told herself that before, and, so far, nothing had come of it.

Day after day, she found herself staring at the back of that beautiful head of golden-blond hair, dreaming of being in Adrien's arms, of feeling safe and loved. But when she actually had the opportunity to speak to him, somehow, she just couldn't get her tongue to behave. All her words came out as a jumble and she never managed to say what she really intended. It felt like she was stuck in an endless loop.

But then she kissed him.

She couldn't get the words to come out right, but she shoved her anxiety aside and just went for it. With that kiss, she was hoping to say what she could never manage to say in words: _I love you, Adrien._

She hadn't spoken to him about it since. In fact, they haven't really spoken much since that day, about a week ago. Both of them had been really busy, it's not like he was avoiding her or anything… Or was he? No, he was just busy, that was all, but Marinette was left unsure what he thought of the kiss, or how he felt about her. Did he think it was just a friendly thank you, or did he realize it was more than that?

Either way, it was time to get it out in the open. All year, Marinette had been letting her worries take control of her, but she wouldn't let that happen anymore. She was Ladybug, after all, the superheroine who saved Paris on a near-daily basis, unafraid of anything, so why should she be scared to ask her crush out on a date? She shouldn't be. She wouldn't be. Not anymore, at least.

* * *

Adrien was feeling… uncomfortable. He had been for the last week, actually, but he kept trying to convince himself he was being ridiculous. After all, Marinette was just a friend. Yes, he felt like they had grown to be very close friends over the past year. She was always ready to help him out, or give him advice, but she was like that with everyone. Marinette was very kind, even to Chloé – at least on occasion.

But she kissed him, and he couldn't stop thinking about her since. She was just being friendly, obviously. He had been praising her unbounded kindness, to him and to all their friends. She was overwhelmed with appreciation and kissed him as a thank you. That's all it was, just a friendly kiss.

The look in her eyes though… That image was burned into Adrien's mind. There was more than just gratitude in those deep, blue eyes of hers. She wasn't just trying to thank him, she was trying to say more than that, but he hadn't seen it before.

What really bothered him about it, though, was that he found he was happy about it. _No,_ he told himself again, _I'm in love with Ladybug; Marinette is_ just _a friend._ Still he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she weren't, if maybe she could be more than that.

Adrien felt so tortured by his conflicting emotions. It was so confusing, he could hardly think of anything else. Plagg offered no help, of course. He didn't care much for human relations, and his advice often revolved around his relation to cheese. Adrien smirked at the memory of some of his monologues, but it did nothing to quiet his jumble of emotions.

In class it was worst, knowing that she was sitting right behind him. Was she staring at him the whole time? He was too nervous to turn and face her most of the time. He had hardly even spoken to her since then, more because he was worried about betraying his clouded emotions than because he wanted to avoid her.

At some point, though, he would have to talk to her about it. He had not managed to complete a single homework assignment in the past week thanks to his distraction, and if he didn't step up his game soon, he'd be put right back in homeschooling. He had to deal with this, one way or another. He wasn't sure what worried him more, though: losing Marinette as a friend, or realizing that he loved her more than Ladybug.


	2. Part 1 - Chapter 2

The bell rang, signaling the start of the lunch break. Now was the time to talk to Marinette. Adrien turned to face her, trying to put on a smile, and saw those beautiful blue eyes staring right back at him. _I can't,_ he told himself, _maybe after lunch._ Without a word he waved a casual goodbye and headed out of class, Nino following close behind.

"Dude, you still haven't spoken to her?" Nino sounded as exasperated with his best friend as he was concerned.

"About what?" Adrien tried sounding nonchalant, though he probably failed.

"You know what, dude," Nino wasn't buying it, "You've been distracted all week, you gotta talk to her."

"I know," he sighed, staring at the ground as they walked, "I just… don't know what I want to say yet."

"Well, what do you want?" Nino asked him, trying to look Adrien in the eye. Adrien's only response was a slight shake of the head. He didn't know what he wanted anymore.

"I wish you would at least talk to me, dude," Nino sounded frustrated as they exited the school, "I feel like your hiding things from me. I want to help you, Adrien."

"I know, Nino," Adrien smiled a bit, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, "Thanks. I'm just not ready yet, but…"

He was interrupted by Marinette's sudden appearance, stepping very close to Adrien as she announced her presence.

"H-hey, Adrien," she stammered, looking to him and ignoring Nino completely. Adrien turned to face her, wanting to smile, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate. He hadn't been able to smile much lately.

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien replied. Marinette had a weird, blank expression on her face, as though she forgot what she was going to say. She was often stammering and forgetting her words, or maybe she only did that around him…?

"See ya later, dudes!" Nino said suddenly, waving to him and Marinette as he walked away. Adrien gave him a wave back before turning his attention back to her.

"So, Adrien," Marinette said, smiling awkwardly as she started to stammer, "have any plants… I mean, haver some plans… Do you have…"

She was cut off by a car horn honking. Adrien looked over to his car and saw the gorilla looking impatiently at him. Adrien actually felt relieved for the excuse to walk away, not ready yet for this conversation.

"I gotta go, Marinette," he said, trying to sound casual as he started turning away. He knew it was rude of him to just leave like that, but he felt desperate to escape.

All of a sudden, Adrien heard Marinette blurt out, "Doyouwantotgotothemovieswithme?" He stopped to turn back at her, in shock. _Did she just say what I think she did?_ he wondered, _is she actually asking me out? So… she doesn't want to be just a friend?_

"What?" was all he managed to say.

"I said," Marinette took a deep breath, then began to speak uncharacteristically slowly, enunciating each word carefully, "do you… want to go… to the movies… with me?"

Adrien felt like he was on the spot. Suddenly he _had_ to make a decision, figure out what his heart wanted, and to go with it. That was impossible, he needed more time. This was an obvious choice. He had to say no, explain to her that he wants to talk to her, that he needs some time to work out his feelings first. This choice was a no-brainer.

Yet, seeing her sweet, blue eyes staring at him, her expression apprehensive and expectant, he couldn't help but smile. As the smile crept unbidden across his face, the answer also became obvious, coming almost of its own accord. "Sure," he said, "I'll pick you up after school."

Internally, he was screaming at himself. Why did I just do that? Why did I not say no? What is wrong with me? Before his mouth could betray his inner turmoil, he quickly turned to get into the car, turning his smile to Marinette once more before shutting the door.

 _Why did I say yes?_

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the start of the lunch break. This was going to be Marinette's chance, she would not back down, not this time. Adrien briefly looked back at her as he started to pack up his bag, a hint of a smile on his lips, but then he just waved a casual goodbye and headed out of class.

Marinette saw his expression as he left and he seemed… distracted? Maybe now wasn't a good time. Could something be bothering him? Maybe it was her, maybe he was planning on telling her that he didn't care about her.

Marinette's fears were creeping up on her rapidly as she imagined Adrien laughing in her face as she tried to admit her feelings to him. She buried her face in her hands as these images flashed through her head. _I can't do this,_ she told herself.

"Hey, girl, what's the matter with you?" Alya put a hand on her shoulder, looking to her best friend with concern in her eyes.

"Oh, Alya, I thought I could do it," Marinette turned to her, her voice soft and scared, "but I just can't! He's going to laugh at me, I know it!"

"Listen to yourself, girl!" Alya answered, trying to reassure her, "This is Adrien we're talking about, not Chloé! Just relax, you got this, Marinette."

Marinette took a deep breath, letting her friend's words calm her down. Alya could be a bit… intense at times, but she was usually right.

"You're right," Marinette agreed, her face screwed up in determination. Without a moment's hesitation, she sprang out of her seat and ran for the door. As soon as she entered the hallway, she turned around to grab her backpack that she left by her seat as Alya sighed and shook her head at her. Bag in hand, Marinette rushed out to catch up to Adrien before his bodyguard picked him up.

Rushing outside, she found her crush at the bottom of the stairs, chatting with Nino, but his bodyguard was just pulling up. _It's now or never!_ she told herself. Nearly tripping, she hurried down the stairs and walked up to him.

"H-hey, Adrien," she stammered, looking into his beautiful green eyes. Adrien turned to face her, but his expression looked troubled. _Oh no,_ Marinette thought suddenly, _something's wrong, he's definitely going to reject me, I have to bail now!_

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien replied, the corners of his mouth twitching like he wanted to smile, but somehow couldn't. Marinette hardly noticed, though, as her mind had shut down temporarily with panic.

"See ya later, dudes!" Nino said suddenly, waving to Adrien and Marinette as he walked away, helping restart Marinette's brain. She gave herself a shake to find her words.

"So, Adrien," Marinette started, smiling awkwardly as she spoke, "have any plants… I mean, haver some plans… Do you have…"

Her stammering was cut off by the impatient honking of Adrien's bodyguard, glaring at his ward through the rolled-down window. Adrien glanced over to him, looking like he didn't want to leave him waiting too long.

"I gotta go, Marinette," he said casually, turning toward the car and giving a little wave. Marinette immediately entered panic mode. This was her chance and it was slipping away, she had to do it now!

"Doyouwantotgotothemovieswithme?" she blurted out as Adrien turned away. He stopped in place.

"What?" he looked back, surprised, but was now giving her his full attention.

"I said," Marinette took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she pronounced her declaration much slower, careful to enunciate each word so she wouldn't mess it up again, feeling her heart pounding with every word, "do you… want to go… to the movies… with me?"

All time seemed to stop for Marinette in that moment. She had done it, but what would happen with it? How would he react? Would he say what she could hardly dare she would ever hear him say, or would he reject her? How did he really feel about her?

Suddenly, Adrien's face broke into a smile, that perfect, beautiful smile of his. Marinette was so mesmerized by it that she nearly missed what he said. "Sure," he responded, smiling at her, "I'll pick you up after school."

With that, he turned and climbed into the car, flashing one last smile at Marinette before closing the door. Marinette just stood there, blinking, staring dumbly at the car as it drove off. He said yes? Did he really say yes? Did she really ask him? Did all of this really just happen?

"You did it, girl!" Alya came up from behind her, giving her an encouraging hug.

"I did?" she asked, her mind finally processing what just happened. She had done it? She had done it. She had done it! She was going on a date with Adrien!


	3. Part 1 - Chapter 3

"I can't believe this is happening!" Marinette squealed as she launched herself into her desk chair. She was back at home, all thoughts of lunch driven from her mind as she reeled from the experience of what just happened. Tikki came flying out of her purse and giggled.

"Oh, Tikki, can you believe it!" she said to her kwami as she lay back in her chair, "I'm going on a date with Adrien!"

"That's wonderful, Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed, flying forward to put her tiny arms around Marinette's cheek in one of her miniscule hugs, "I knew you could do it!"

"Yeah," Marinette leaned forward, staring dreamily at the picture of Adrien on her desk. Those bright green eyes, that charming smile… everything about him was just so perfect.

"Oh no," Marinette suddenly realized, concern growing in her eyes as she turned back to Tikki, "What should I wear?! I need to wash my hair! Should I let it down? Tikki, what should I do?" Panic started to rise as her anxiety began to get the better of her again. So many scenarios of how the date could go horribly wrong suddenly flooded her mind. "It doesn't matter, it'll probably be a disaster anyway! I'll trip and spill soda all over his favorite shirt and then he'll be so mad he'll leave me at the theater alone and never speak to me again!" Suddenly she buried her face in her hands, trying to wish the nightmare images out of her head.

"Don't worry, Marinette, it'll be fine," Tikki came flying up to her, ever encouraging with her warm smile, "Just be yourself! Adrien would never do that to you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Marinette started to relax, at least a little, "I just hope I can talk to him normally tonight."

"I'm sure whatever you say, he'll think you're funny," Tikki giggled.

"Hey," Marinette huffed at her, "Just you wait, I'm going to talk normally to him tonight… for a change."

* * *

"Why did I say yes?" Adrien asked aloud as soon as he was back in his room. Plagg was already heading out of the inside pocket of his jacket to find his cheese stores.

"I dunno, humans are weird," Plagg said with a shrug, grabbing a piece of camembert and savoring it slowly.

"Plagg, you're not helping," Adrien sighed, lying back on his bed, "I'm in love with Ladybug, so why would I agree to a date with Marinette?"

"Maybe you forgot, but Ladybug rejected you," Plagg pointed out, "twice. It's probably time to move on."

"I tried that once," Adrien shook his head, thinking of his double date at the ice rink, "but it didn't work out, Ladybug is the one for me."

"It wasn't Ladybug you were chasing after on the ice rink," Plagg said tauntingly.

"I was just worried about her," Adrien said, sitting up, "That's all. I know she's clumsy, so I wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt. Why are you making such a big deal about it?"

"Luka was there for her," Plagg reminded him, "but you _had_ to go to her yourself, even though you were with Kagami."

"Yeah, but…" Adrien was trying to protest, but the more he thought about it, the more he had to wonder, _why did I go to her?_

"She's just…" he started to say, but he couldn't finish his sentence. Yes, she was just a friend, at least to him, but clearly that wasn't how Marinette felt. Did he feel more for her than he realized? "I don't know anymore, Plagg," he admitted finally, his eyes downcast, lost in a jumble of confused emotions.

"Too bad for you," Plagg shrugged, taking the last bite of his cheese, "I hope you figure it out; human emotions are too much for me."

Taking out his phone, Adrien texted Nathalie to ask if he could go out with a friend. If he couldn't figure out what he wanted to do, maybe he could find an excuse for why he can't go and have the decision made for him. After a few minutes of waiting, she answered with a yes. Adrien sighed, realizing there was no way to get out of this.

"Just relax!" Plagg suggested, "Getting this worked up won't help you. Besides, you like Marinette, just go and have a good time."

"Yeah," Adrien answered slowly, opening up to the idea. He did enjoy spending time with Marinette, and maybe there could be something more between them. Maybe it was time to stop chasing Ladybug, and time to start thinking about the girl who's always there for him. "Yeah," he repeated, building confidence, "maybe I will."


	4. Part 1 - Chapter 4

Adrien stood outside Marinette's door, hand poised to knock, but unmoving. _What am I doing?_ he wondered. He hadn't gotten dressed up or anything, he wasn't really sure if he should. This was all so unfamiliar to him, and it's not like he could rely on his dad for advice. At least he remembered to take a shower.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Plagg said, flying out of Adrien's jacket, "I would knock for you, but I might knock down the whole building."

"Stay hidden, Plagg," Adrien scolded him, "I'm fine."

As Plagg returned to his hiding place, Adrien knocked on the door. Just a moment passed before it was opened and Marinette's mom, Sabine, was standing there, smiling when she saw him.

"Come in, Adrien," she spoke in a friendly tone, "Marinette told us you would be coming."

"Thanks," he said, unsure what else to say, stepping inside and standing awkwardly in the entryway.

"Marinette!" Sabine called up the stairs, "Adrien is here to pick you up!"

"Coming!" a voice shouted back, followed by a loud crash. Sometimes it amazed Adrien just how clumsy she could be. He was genuinely concerned for her most of the time, never knowing when she might seriously injure herself, but it wasn't really something he could help with. Then he saw her, coming down the stairs, and his eyes went wide. She was wearing a dress, one that she probably made herself, and… her hair was down. He had never seen her with her hair down before and she looked so beautiful he could hardly believe it.

"He-He-Hi, Adrien," Marinette said, her cheeks growing red.

"Wow, Marinette," Adrien was at such a loss for words, "you look… amazing."

Marinette's cheeks grew even redder as she glanced away, muttering a meek, "Thank you."

 _I should've dressed nicer,_ Adrien told himself, _she did all this for me, and I'm dressed so casually. This is so awkward_.

"Let's go," he said finally after a silent moment of self-doubt, "my bodyguard is waiting to take us to the theater."

"O-okay," Marinette followed him out the door, bidding a quick farewell to her mother.

Adrien couldn't think of what to say, so instead he remained silent as they headed downstairs. Should he talk first, or let her talk first? How come dates didn't come with a manual? It was so hard to figure out.

"Have fun, you two!" Tom, Marinette's dad, called to them from the bakery as they walked past.

Outside, Adrien's car was waiting for them. Adrien opened the door for Marinette, giving her a smile as he waited for her to step in. She seemed to hesitate, then all of a sudden was stumbling forward. Adrien, not entirely surprised, quickly caught her and helped her into the car.

* * *

The rest of the day, Marinette felt like she was in a dream. Adrien came in after lunch to let her know he had permission to go out and he'd come by later with his bodyguard to pick her up. She couldn't think of anything else the rest of class, just imagining how wonderful her evening would be, pierced by occasional panic of something terrible ruining the occasion. _I just hope there's no akuma attack tonight,_ she thought. Having to explain why she needs to suddenly bail would be more difficult than it was to ask him out in the first place.

Eventually, the final bell rang and Marinette rushed home to get ready. She needed to take a shower, brush her hair, and change. She didn't want to be too fancy, but she had some simple dresses – of her own design, of course – that seemed more suitable for a date than her normal outfit. Soon after she was satisfied with how she looked, she heard her mother calling for her.

"Marinette!" her mom called, "Adrien is here to pick you up!"

"Coming!" she shouted back, stumbling out of her chair and crashing to the floor. She quickly picked herself up, straightened her dress, and ran down. And there he was: Adrien, come to pick her up for their first date. She has to have imagined what this would be like for so long, but now it was actually happening. She felt like her stomach was filled with ladybugs. She hardly noticed that he hadn't changed out of his normal outfit, she only cared that he was here.

"He-He-Hi, Adrien," she stammered, blushing. He looked surprised when he saw her come down.

"Wow, Marinette," he blinked, "you look… amazing."

Marinette's blush deepened as she looked away. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely audible.

Adrien stood there awkwardly for a moment, then started turning to leave. "Let's go, my bodyguard is waiting to take us to the theater."

"O-okay," she followed quickly, turning briefly to wave at her mom, "Bye mom!"

They didn't talk at all as they descended the steps, but Tikki poked her face out of Marinette's purse briefly to give her a reassuring smile before disappearing again. Marinette felt her breathing calm down, though her heart was still beating so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

"Have fun, you two!" Marinette's dad called to them from the bakery as they walked past.

Outside, Adrien's car was waiting for them. Adrien opened the door for her, but she was so nervous she couldn't move for a moment. _I'm actually getting in Adrien's car!_ _This has to be a dream._ Adrien just looked at her expectantly, a smile on his face. When she finally stepped forward, she tripped and stumbled, but Adrien caught her easily, as though expecting it. With a smile, he helped her into the car and they were on the way.


	5. Part 1 - Chapter 5

The next few hours were the best of Marinette's life. She was so afraid to talk at first, certain she couldn't trust her mouth to cooperate and speak clearly, but eventually she was brave enough to try. Sure enough, she stammered the first few times and got flustered easily, but the more she spoke with Adrien, the easier it got. Soon she found she could speak to him with hardly a problem.

Something seemed to be bothering Adrien, though, and Marinette couldn't tell what. She kept worrying that she was doing something wrong. Was she talking too much? Maybe she wasn't talking enough? Any time she got flustered again, he would flash that beautiful smile at her and all her fears would melt away. By the time they left the theater, she was feeling at ease.

Inevitably, the date had to come to an end eventually. Soon they were pulling up outside her home, but all Marinette wanted was to stay with Adrien. She had spent more time with him than she ever had before, but it still wasn't enough for her. Adrien got out first and held the door open for her.

"Well," Marinette said slowly as she got out of the car, "I should I guess home go… Uh, I mean, I guess I should go home." She started feeling nervous again as the evening drew to a close. _Did he have a good time?_ she wondered, _is he going to ask me out again? Is he going to kiss me goodnight?!_ That last one had her heart pounding hard and she found it hard to breathe.

"Yeah, uh," Adrien looked a bit nervous, "before you do."

"Yes?" Marinette prompted, possibly a bit too eagerly. He gave her a shy smile, then looked and saw his bodyguard watching him impatiently.

"Hold on," Adrien said. He leaned his head into the window of the car and said something to his bodyguard, then pulled out and turned back to Marinette. "Let's go talk in the park for a bit," he said, avoiding making eye contact with her.

"O-ok," Marinette stammered. Her heart was racing faster now. What did he want to say that needed privacy? Or what did he want to do?! He took her hand, almost casually, and led her into the park next to her apartment. She felt giddy at his touch and couldn't help but smile as she walked alongside him. He led her over to the nearest bench and sat down.

"Listen," he started, looking down at the ground, "I… This isn't easy for me."

"It's all right," Marinette tried to sound reassuring, placing a hand on his knee as she did, but she knew she was as nervous as he was. She waited to hear what he had to say with trepidation, not daring to hope to hear what she had waited for so long to hear, but too scared to think he might be saying anything else.

"Well," he started, his hand rubbing at his neck, "I don't think I'm being entirely fair, to either of us." Marinette wasn't sure what that meant. Was that good or bad? She clasped her hands together on her lap, squeezing them as hard as she could to try and steady her nerves.

"Marinette," he said softly, giving her a sideways glance. He wasn't smiling now; he had a strange look on his face. Was that… regret? "I had a really good time tonight," now it was starting to sound better, "and the truth is, I love…"

For the briefest of moments, as Adrien was midsentence, Marinette's heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. In that one, fleeting moment, waiting to hear what the next word would be, she felt like she would die from joy.

"…spending time with you," he concluded. Marinette managed to breathe again, though her heart was still pounding, so loud she was certain Adrien could hear it. She tried opening her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. With growing anxiety, she waited to hear what else he had to say.

"Listen," he went on, looking down again and avoiding her gaze, "I don't want to play around with your feelings, it would be the same as lying to you."

 _No,_ Marinette started to panic, _oh no, I don't like where this is going now!_

"I don't want to do that," he continued, "You're a really good friend, Marinette, and I'd never want to lie to a friend."

"What…" Marinette managed to gasp out, tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes, "What are you… trying to say?" She was shaking now, feeling her world starting to crash down around her, desperately hoping for some thread to cling to so she wouldn't crash with it.

"I'm…" Adrien hesitated, "I'm in love with someone else."

* * *

Everything seemed to go well after that, at least at first. Marinette was a fun person to spend time with. Adrien had already known how smart she was, and how kind, and she was also really talented, and funny, but all those qualities took on new meaning as he spent time with her. Her somewhat endearing clumsiness and awkward stammering even seemed to vanish as the evening carried on. Soon she was talking freely with him, and she wasn't too nervous to make eye contact anymore.

Adrien was really starting to enjoy himself. _Maybe this_ is _right,_ he told himself, _Marinette is a great girl; why should I keep chasing Ladybug when I have Marinette right here?_ He had to tell himself that a lot that evening, and it distracted him, but he felt he was starting to believe it.

That is, until he tried looking into Marinette's eyes, those deep, bright, blue eyes. For a brief moment he gazed into them, lost in her beauty, before looking away, feeling embarrassed. He wasn't embarrassed for looking at her like that, but because he realized she wasn't the one he was thinking of when he did. Seeing those beautiful, blue eyes, suddenly the only girl he could see was Ladybug.

After that, he couldn't get Ladybug out of his head anymore, and suddenly he found himself comparing her to Marinette, imagining he were on a date with his lady instead of her. He knew it wasn't really fair of him, and he knew he should try to put her from his mind, at least for tonight, but he just couldn't anymore. Anytime he looked at Marinette, or heard her voice, or touched her hand, all he could think of was sharing these moments with Ladybug. He tried to cover it up, but internally he was wracked with guilt.

On the drive home, as Marinette was speaking more comfortably with him, he was trying to make up his mind. He thought he could move on from Ladybug, and that maybe Marinette was the right girl, but now he found that he couldn't. He had to tell Marinette; it wasn't fair of him to lead her on when he wasn't ready after all. He thought he was, he thought he even wanted it, but he clearly wasn't.

Finally, the car pulled up in front of the bakery. Adrien got out and held the door open for Marinette, trying to think of how he should tell her. He felt like a total jerk for what he was about to do, but better to do it now and tell the truth than to lead her on.

"Well," Marinette said slowly as she climbed out of the car, "I should I guess home go… Uh, I mean, I guess I should go home." Adrien couldn't help but smirk at her returning stammer. _She must be getting nervous, again,_ he told himself. For a moment, he thought maybe he shouldn't tell her, not yet, but then he knew he had to.

"Yeah, uh," Adrien said awkwardly, "before you do."

"Yes?" Marinette absent-mindedly stepped closer to him, her eyes, her blue, Ladybug-like eyes, looked expectantly at him. He tried to smile at her, then looked away as he thought about how to tell her. He saw the gorilla watching him impatiently from the car with the window rolled down. He couldn't do this with someone watching, they needed more privacy.

"Hold on," he said to Marinette, then he turned to lean his head into the window of the car and said to the gorilla, "We're going to go sit in the park for a minute, we'll be right back." The usual acknowledging grunt was the only response he got, which Adrien took as permission.

"Let's go talk in the park for a bit," he said to Marinette, half-turning toward her, but avoiding her eyes. He couldn't look her in the eye anymore.

"O-ok," Marinette stammered. She sounded nervous. Adrien could hardly imagine what she might be thinking, he just knew he had to get this over with as quickly as possible. He took her hand, hardly even thinking what he was doing, as he headed into the park. Her hand was shaking, and her palm felt sweaty. She was definitely nervous, and he couldn't blame her. _Oh no,_ he thought, _what am I going to do to her?_

They sat down on the nearest bench, Adrien continuing to stare at the ground. "Listen," he said, still not looking at her, "I… This isn't easy for me."

"It's all right," Marinette said in a shaky voice, but she placed on hand on his knee, trying to provide reassurance. It only made him feel guiltier.

"Well," Adrien started rubbing the back of his neck, as he often did when he got nervous, "I don't think I'm being entirely fair, to either of us." Marinette removed her hand from his knee; she could sense now that things weren't going how she had wanted. It wasn't really going how Adrien wanted either. He half-turned to look at her and saw the concern on her face. He couldn't smile anymore, not knowing what he was about to do.

"Marinette," he spoke quietly, "I had a really good time tonight, and the truth is, I love spending time with you." He paused, trying to think. It was so hard finding the words for this, how to say it gently. Suddenly, he remembered the words that were spoken to him, on a rooftop not far from there, when he was rejected, and they seemed like the perfect words to say. It seemed ironic that he would borrow Ladybug's own words to turn down a different girl because he still loved her.

"Listen," he started again, looking at the ground again, "I don't want to play around with your feelings, it would be the same as lying to you." He heard a sharp intake of breath beside him. There was no taking it back now, he had to just get through it. "I don't want to do that," he went on, "You're a really good friend, Marinette, and I'd never want to lie to a friend."

"What…" Marinette gasped, and it sounded like she was choking back tears. _Oh I hope she doesn't cry,_ Adrien said to himself, _I don't think I could bear that_. "What are you… trying to say?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"I'm…" Adrien almost held it back, but he knew he had to say it, "I'm in love with someone else."


	6. Part 1 - Chapter 6

Marinette died at that moment. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. She couldn't form a coherent thought in her mind, let alone any semblance of speech. The world as she knew it was over.

What had happened to the last few hours? Had she imagined all of that? Was Adrien just toying with her that whole time? _But… he's perfect,_ she told herself. But no, he couldn't be perfect. He just spent the whole evening with her, just to destroy all her hopes and dreams and tell her he's in love with someone else? No, that's not perfection, that's cruelty. Anger began to bubble up unbidden among the chaos of her sorrow.

She tried looking at his eyes, still staring at the ground, but was too caught up in her own emotions to read anything in them. _How could he be so heartless?_ she asked herself, _how could I have ever loved him?_ Tears were flowing freely now down her cheeks.

"Why?" she finally managed to choke out before burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he said, and Marinette imagined he might be starting to cry, too, "I really am…"

"It's Kagami, isn't it?" Marinette asked. For some reason she just had to know who it was. She didn't know what good it would do her, but she had to know.

"What, Kagami?" Adrien sounded surprised, "No, of course not!"

"Then who?" Marinette peeked between her fingers, but her vision was blurred from all her tears. He was looking at her, his soft green eyes suddenly looking so cruel and cold when before she had seen only warmth and kindness. She couldn't bare to look anymore and closed her hands again.

"It's…" Adrien hesitated, "It doesn't matter. I know I hurt you Marinette, and I really am sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"So why did you say yes?" Marinette wasn't stammering anymore, instead her voice was quivering from sorrow and tinged with rising anger, "Was it… just to make fun of me?"

"No, of course not!" Adrien answered quickly, "It's that…" He trailed off. Apparently, he had no good explanation. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No, _I'm_ sorry!" Marinette shouted dropping her hands and standing suddenly, "I can't believe I ever cared about you!" she shouted at him. Then she turned and ran home without looking back.

* * *

Even as he said it, he regretted it. Marinette was such a nice girl, she didn't deserve this kind of treatment. If only he could get Ladybug out of his mind, maybe this night would've ended on a better note, but he had to be honest with his feelings, and honest with Marinette. He wished so much to go back and time and just say no to her that morning, but it was too late.

"Why?" Marinette choked out between tears. When Adrien looked up, he saw her face was buried in her hands and he could hear her crying now. _How could I do this to her?_ he chided himself.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he said, starting to feel like he might cry, too, "I really am…"

"It's Kagami, isn't it?" Marinette asked suddenly.

"What, Kagami?" Adrien was taken aback, "No, of course not!"

"Then who?" Marinette peeked between her fingers at him, and he caught a glimpse of her blue eyes, now moist from tears, and this time all he could see was Marinette. _Am I making a mistake after all?_

"It's," he hesitated. Should he tell her? It's not like telling her would give away his identity, there were probably plenty of people who were in love with Ladybug. Of course, none of them knew her like he did, and probably none of them would dump a sweet girl like Marinette in favor of a superheroine they only fantasized about. "It doesn't matter.", he said finally, "I know I hurt you Marinette, and I really am sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

"So why did you say yes?" Adrien could hear the rising anger in her voice now. He realized that she wasn't just crushed, but she hated him now, and he could hardly blame her. "Was it… just to make fun of me?"

"No, of course not!" Adrien answered quickly, "It's that…" How could he explain? How could he say that he genuinely liked her and wanted to give her a chance, but just couldn't get his lady out of his mind? "I'm sorry," he whispered instead, uncertain what else to say.

"No, _I'm_ sorry!" Marinette shot up suddenly, finally uncovering her eyes, now puffy and red, "I can't believe I ever cared about you!" she shouted. Without another word she turned and ran back home.

"What have I done?" Adrien asked himself, burying his face in his hands.

* * *

If it could work on himself, then Gabriel knew that his miraculous would have been glowing all week. His final, grand plan, his army of akumas on Hero's Day, had ultimately failed. Not only that, but he was very close to being caught and unmasked, and only Nathalie's willing sacrifice saved him at the last minute.

Now he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He wanted to keep his promise, to obtain the Ladybug and Cat Noir miraculous so he could bring his sweet Emilie back, but all of his attempts and all of his plans had failed. Was there anything else he could do? Was there still any hope of success? And in the meantime, he felt he was losing touch with the only other person in the world that he loved: his son. Tonight, he was out with his friends, and Gabriel didn't even know where or what he was doing. He felt too lost to try and control him, or anything, anymore.

His miraculous began to glow. He continued to wear it, more out of familiarity than anything else, but he hadn't used it since his grand failure. Every now and then it would glow, he would sense the emotions of a troubled soul, but he would ignore it. He just wasn't ready yet, he had to figure out what he was doing with himself first.

Despite himself, he closed his eyes and focused, feeling the rush of emotions from whatever potential victim triggered his miraculous. It was a girl, one that was familiar to him. Marinette was her name, a friend of Adrien's, also an aspiring fashion designer. Her emotions were intense, stronger than any he had felt in a long time. Someone had wronged her, humiliated her, rejected her. She had felt an intense love that had collapsed on itself, leaving a void that was quickly filling with unbridled rage and sorrow.

Opening his eyes again, Gabriel found he had been holding his breath without realizing it. The emotions were so intense, so powerful, she would certainly make for a powerful villain. It was stronger than anything he had felt before, even stronger than Audrey had been. Dare he to hope that he may try again, and may yet succeed? He wasn't sure, he wasn't even sure if this was still the path he wanted to take, but it was tempting.

As he stood in his office, considering what to do, the miraculous grew brighter. Her emotions were flaring up, getting even stronger. It was too much! She would certainly be unrivaled in her strength, stronger than any other villain he had created! Perhaps this was a sign, perhaps not all hope was lost after all. They say that true love conquers all, and true love was what drove Gabriel so relentlessly; surely this was proof that he needed to continue down this path.

He turned toward the portrait of his beloved Emilie, smiling for the first time since that fateful day. His fingers easily found the hidden buttons in the portrait, activating the lift that would take him to his secret lair.


	7. Part 1 - Chapter 7

Adrien remained on the bench for only another minute before pulling himself to his feet. Dejected, he returned to the car, not saying a word to the gorilla, who was looking concerned. He probably saw Marinette running by crying. As they pulled up at home, Adrien slowly stalked to his room and collapsed on his bed.

"What have I done?" he said aloud, though this time more to Plagg than to himself. The kwami flew out of his jacket and considered his owner.

"You only crushed your friend's spirit," Plagg said casually, almost as though this was amusing. Adrien ignored his tone for now.

"I never should have said yes," Adrien shook his head, "I really messed up, Plagg."

"Hey, anybody can make a mistake," the kwami replied, taking a softer tone. He acted indifferent, but Adrien knew that he genuinely cared for him.

"Maybe I can talk to her as Cat Noir," he suggested, sitting up suddenly, feeling hopeful again.

"Why would Cat Noir know that she's upset?" Plagg asked him, "That would be tough to explain."

"Well, maybe I can say I was nearby and saw her in the park."

"Adrien," Plagg looked him dead in the eye, "I think you've done enough damage tonight."

"You're right, Plagg," Adrien sighed, "She probably hates me now. Maybe someday I can get her to forgive me." He stood up and stalked over to the window, leaning against the frame as he stared out into the night sky.

* * *

Marinette threw herself into her desk chair, resting her head in her hands on the desk and just let it all out. She cried uncontrollably, her loose hair now sticking to her wet cheeks, unable to formulate any coherent thought in her mind. Everything had gone wrong. She wasn't sure how it had happened, or when it had happened, but everything was wrong now.

"Marinette," Tikki flew up beside her, resting a tiny arm on her shoulder, "It's not your fault." The kwami was at such a loss for words, but she was doing her best to be encouraging. Her voice sounded just as pained as Marinette felt.

"I'm so stupid, Tikki," Marinette sobbed, not lifting her head from the desk, "Why would I ever think A-Adrien would love me?" It was hard for her to say his name anymore, hard to even think about him. Images of his face flashed through her mind, smiling, but suddenly that smile looked like it was mocking her, cruelly tearing apart her dreams.

Tikki remained quiet, just hugging Marinette's shoulder to try and provide some comfort. Suddenly she pulled away and started shouting something, but Marinette was too lost to hear what. Something had disturbed her, but Marinette didn't even care anymore.

All of a sudden, a strange, cold session washed over Marinette. It didn't remove the pain she felt, but somehow seemed to… solidify it, holding it in place. Then the voice came.

"Hello, young lady," a voice spoke to her as though whispered directly into her ear, a familiar voice. Hawk Moth. A stab of panic tore through her troubled mind as she realized what had happened: she had been hit by an akuma.

"No," she lifted her head and shook it fiercely, trying to free herself from that voice, "No! I don't want to be a villain!"

"Of course not," the voice came, silky smooth, piercing into the depths of her soul, "but don't you want to express your pain? Show others how you feel?"

"No, no I don't!" she shouted. Now her whole body was shaking as she tried to pull herself out of her despair, but the only emotion that came in its place was anger, and that was just as bad in this case. For the briefest of moments, though, the cold feeling that had come with the touch of the akuma seemed to lessen.

"You have to fight it, Marinette!" Tikki shouted, "Don't let him control you!"

"Of course you do," the voice came again, still smooth but with a twinge of frustration in it, "Look at you, sitting in your sorrow, while all around you people are sitting happily with their loved ones. How is that fair? Why should they be so happy when you're so miserable?"

Marinette felt her resolve weaken. Thoughts of happy couples all over Paris just made her despair and anger worse. It wasn't fair, was it? Why should they get to be happy? Why should Adrien get to be happy when she was sitting here in tears?

"Yeah," she said, the cold of the akuma's influence growing, "Why should they?"

"Heartbreaker," Hawk Moth said, his voice strong and confident again, "I give you the power to spread sorrow all over Paris, but in return you must do something for me. You must bring me the miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," Marinette's voice had grown cold as she answered. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a tiny voice protested, trying to pull her out of it, but it was quickly drowned out as she felt the akuma's magic spreading out from her infected purse to consume her whole being. She welcomed that power as it embraced her, felt the strength it gave her. Yes, she would bring her pain to all of Paris, especially the one that broke her heart.

* * *

Hawk Moth felt the emotions, so dark and troubled, as his akuma homed in on its target. As it flew, he began to consider what type of powers he would be able to grant to this poor girl. Perhaps he could have another Dark Cupid? That would be useful.

He felt as the akuma found its target, felt the psychic connection made between them. Through it, he projected his will onto his victim, and soon she would… _Hmm, that's strange,_ he realized. Normally as soon as his akuma touched the victim, he would have control over them and be able to formulate their powers immediately. Once, when he infected a teacher, it took him a moment before he could subjugate her. Her willpower was strong, but he broke her quickly enough, and now he would break his newest victim.

"Hello, young lady," he spoke softly to her. He felt her panic. She had an understanding of what was going on, and unlike most of his victims, she was resistant to it.

"No," she shouted back at him, trying to banish his hold on her mind, "No! I don't want to be a villain!" She was stronger than he realized.

"Of course not," he said carefully, "but don't you want to express your pain? Show others how you feel?" He needed her to want it, to break her down so he could control her properly.

"No, no I don't!" she shouted. He felt a pulse of energy and growled in frustration. _What's with this girl!_ he wondered. Her will was so strong, for a moment he felt like he might lose her. He needed to break her, he needed to overpower her surprising willpower!

"Of course you do," he insisted, trying to keep his voice steady. He needed to say something that would get to her, remind her of her abject misery and keep her focused on it. "Look at you," he went on, "sitting in your sorrow, while all around you people are sitting happily with their loved ones. How is that fair? Why should they be so happy when you're so miserable?"

He felt her start to weaken. _Yes! I_ will _control her,_ he told himself.

"Yeah," he heard her response. Something broke in her then, an iron wall of resistance that had prevented him from getting through, now shattered as she welcomed the sorrow to consume her. "Why should they?" she agreed.

Now he could sense her full essence. No, not another dark cupid, but something similar. She was not consumed by humiliation as much as sadness, so that would be the focus of her power. All was clear to Hawk Moth now.

"Heartbreaker," he said, confident as he began to channel his strength into her, "I give you the power to spread sorrow all over Paris, but in return you must do something for me. You must bring me the miraculous of Ladybug and Cat Noir."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," she answered, now cold and obedient. The power began to overwhelm her. Now she was under his total control, and this time he knew he would succeed!


	8. Part 1 - Chapter 8

Heartbreaker stood atop her rooftop balcony, one foot resting on the railing, looking out into the night. It was such a strange feeling. She had stood on rooftops and soared across the Paris skyline numerous times, but always with the goal of stopping the villains. Now everything looked different, surveying the landscape for problems to _cause_ rather than to solve.

Her eyes quickly turned to the park, scanning the area where her heart had been torn out and crushed. Adrien wasn't there anymore, but there was a happy, young couple just strolling through, hand-in-hand. How dare they be so happy when she was up here wallowing in misery? With expert agility she pushed off the railing, launching herself into a somersault high in the air and landing gracefully right behind them. They turned to her first in surprise, then in horror as they saw her.

 _Yes,_ she thought with grim satisfaction, standing up, _let them feel despair and pain, just as I have._ In place of the small purse she normally had hanging at her side, she now had a pouch strapped to her thigh. She pulled open the cover, allowing two daggers to come flying out, hovering in the air before her, each one with a glowing, crimson blade. With a casual flick of her hand, the daggers flew forward as the couple started to scream in panic, but too late. The daggers pierced them each right in the heart, vanishing on impact as it infected them with her unbearable sorrow. Heartbreaker's frown deepened as she watched them fall to their knees, weeping uncontrollably.

"Not so happy now, are you?" she said mockingly, almost surprised at her cruelty. This is what she wanted, to spread despair and sorrow, yet this wasn't enough to satisfy her. She turned around to search for her next victim and saw all the apartments surrounding her. Her heartbreaker daggers would home in on the hearts of anyone they came close to, wherever they were. She leaped into the air as high as she could go, graceful in her dark purpose. At the apex of her jump, one hand went to her pouch, drawing out with it an array of daggers poised to strike, hovering in the air as they waited for the command. Just before she began to fall, she swung her hand, sending them in all directions.

The daggers shot out toward windows all around, some entering open windows, others shattering the glass as they flew. Soon she could hear them, the pitiful wails of utter despair, from her victims all around. The sound echoed throughout the courtyard, filling her ears with the terrible sound, but this was not enough for her yet. All of Paris could feel her sorrow, but it would not be enough until she saw Adrien crushed by agonizing despair. This was his fault, and now he would suffer as he made her suffer.

With a few expert leaps, she found herself poised on a rooftop across from Adrien's bedroom window. Crouching, she watched him, standing at the window, staring out into the open air. She felt an odd mix of emotions seeing him there. Her all-consuming sadness and anger was suddenly pierced by a memory of a time that seemed so long ago, of a love as strong as the grief, of a desire to be in those arms. She shook it off; those feelings were nothing to her now, Adrien took care of that.

"What are you doing, Heartbreaker?" Hawk Moth's voice came to her, "You need to sow your grief throughout Paris to bring Ladybug and Cat Noir to you."

"I will," she promised, "but first I have to punish him. This is all his fault."

"Him?" Hawk Moth sounded… surprised, concerned even, "You can have your revenge, but first bring me the mira…!"

"Shut up," Heartbreaker answered casually. She may have accepted his power, but her will was still her own. She would do as she saw fit. His voice continued to ring in her head, but she ignored it, leaping across the open space to land on the roof of the Agreste household.

* * *

Hawk Moth watched with satisfaction through Heartbreaker's eyes. She immediately began to use her powers well, bringing despair to the young couple in the park, then sending her crimson daggers into the apartments throughout the courtyard.

"Yes, soon Ladybug and Cat Noir will show up," he said to himself smugly, "Then I'll have their miraculous at last!"

As he watched, Heartbreaker began leaping through the air again, jumping from rooftop to rooftop before stopping on one in particular. She seemed to be intent on the building across from her, one that was very familiar to him.

"What is she doing?" he wondered aloud, then he focused his will on her and spoke directly, "What are you doing, Heartbreaker? You need to sow your grief throughout Paris to bring Ladybug and Cat Noir to you." He spoke firmly to make sure there was no question of obedience. He had broken her will already and now she was his to control.

"I will," she replied, her voice intense in its determination, "but first I have to punish him. This is all his fault."

"Adrien?" Hawk Moth wondered aloud, speaking to himself again, seeing his son through Heartbreaker's eyes in his bedroom window, "Is this where he went tonight, out with this girl?"

"Him?" he spoke again to Heartbreaker, trying to sound commanding, "You can have your revenge, but first bring me the mira…!"

"Shut up," she answered, her voice cool but firm. He felt a wave of force ripple through his psychic link with her. Her will was returning, and it was so strong! Even now she tried to resist him.

"If you fail to bring me the miraculous, I'll take away your powers, Heartbreaker!" he threatened, but the words fell on deaf ears. He knew Heartbreaker could still hear him, but she was blocking him out. He tried to exert his will over her to stop her, but he found he couldn't. Suddenly he felt helpless by the surprisingly powerful will of this high school girl.

"What have I done?" he wondered aloud, "Adrien…"


	9. Part 1 - Chapter 9

Lost in his troubled thoughts, Adrien almost didn't notice the movement of a figure jumping across the night sky and landing on his roof. He saw the blur out of the edge of his vision and looked up in confusion. _Was that Ladybug?_ he wondered. Having a chance to see her would certainly help improve his mood, even if it almost certainly meant there was a villain to fight.

He was about to turn around and find Plagg so he could transform when a figure suddenly flipped through the air, landing on the open window sill above him. He looked up in surprise at a frightening visage. Her face and eyes were blood red surrounded by a tangle of jet-black hair that seemed to wave about her freely, with simple, round, black earrings in each ear. On her torso was a huge symbol of a heart, broken down the middle with a jagged black line. From her hands to her elbows were red gloves, as well as the boots that reached her knees, and all the rest was black. Strapped to her left thigh was a long pouch with a broken heart prominently displayed on it as well. He stumbled back in shock and fear.

"So, you think it was fun to toy with my emotions, Adrien?" the figure spoke in a tormented voice, like she was constantly choking back tears, "Do you still want to dump me?"

"M-Marinette?" Adrien's eyes grew wide as recognition came to him. He stepped back further, stumbling more. "You've been akumatized!" he shouted in horror. _I never wanted this to happen…_ he chided himself, _not Marinette…_

"I'm not Marinette anymore," Marinette jumped down from the window, her tortured voice sending sharp stabs of guilt through Adrien's heart, "now I'm Heartbreaker. I found someone who cared about my feelings, enough to help me do something about it, unlike you."

"Please, Marinette," Adrien begged her, hesitantly stepping closer, wishing he could get through to her, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want to hurt you!"

"Shut up!" she shouted, her face changing from sadness to intense anger. Moving almost too fast for him to see, she hopped forward with one leg while the other struck out, hitting him square in the chin. He grunted in pain, his teeth clacking together loudly, as he was sent sprawling backward, skidding across the ground.

Adrien rubbed at his chin, wincing at the pain as moved his jaw around. _Well, it's not broken._ "I'm sorry," he bit back the pain, but his voice was strained, as he tried sitting up, "I'm so sorry…"

"Not yet," Heartbreaker reached into her pouch, pulling from it a terrifying dagger with a black handle and a blade that glowed with a pulsing, crimson light. She stepped forward, standing directly over him, dagger poised above his heart. "But you will be," she promised.

This was it. Short of transforming right in front of her, there was nothing Adrien could do to escape. On the one hand, he knew he had to. He was Cat Noir, it was his job to stop the supervillains and help Ladybug save the day. On the other, he knew this whole situation was his own fault. Akumatized villains never killed their targets directly, so he knew whatever that dagger would do to him, Ladybug would be able to reverse the effect. He was willing to accept whatever it was Marinette was planning to do with it; he deserved this for what he had done to her. Ladybug would just have to find another hero to help her tonight.

Surprisingly, the strike never came. Heartbreaker knelt over him for a moment, poised to strike, but then she held back. In her eyes was a look of recognition, like she had seen something in him that prevented her from plunging the dagger down, no matter how much she wanted to. Finally, her hand began to retract.

"Yes, Hawk Moth," he heard her say, communicating with her master. She stood up, drawing her hand back and returning the dagger to her pouch. She gave him one last, intense look before jumping back out the window.

* * *

Hawk Moth watched helplessly as Heartbreaker flipped into Adrien's room. Luckily, her power would not cause permanent injury to him, though it wouldn't be pleasant. He should never have used his power again, not after the last time it put Adrien at risk. Yet, if he succeeded, it will all have been worth it. Surely Adrien would forgive him once his mother returned to them, and they could be a whole family again.

Heartbreaker was taunting Adrien now, and Hawk Moth could see the fear in his son's eyes. How could he put him through this? He's been so clueless about his son's life, if only he had known what he had been up to tonight, this might never have happened.

"Shut up!" Heartbreaker shouted at Adrien, aiming a kick at his chin.

"No!" Hawk Moth shouted, trying to get Heartbreaker to listen to him again, "Leave him alone! You're supposed to get me the miraculous!" It was no use, though, she was still ignoring him. Her will was too strong right now, with her tormentor in her sight; nothing could stop her.

"I'm sorry, son," Hawk Moth said, closing his eyes, blocking out the image of his pleading face as he looked up at the villain towering over him.

Then… a moment of hesitation. Heartbreaker's will wavered, and her hand faltered. At the moment of truth, she held back from striking. Hawk Moth jumped at this opportunity, finding his way into her mind once again, forcing his own agenda on her.

"Enough of this," he commanded, grateful for the opportunity to take control again, "You need to draw Ladybug and Cat Noir to you, now! Or I'll take away your powers!"

"Yes, Hawk Moth," she submitted. Heartbreaker turned away from Adrien and jumped back out the window as Hawk Moth breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

With an expert flip, Heartbreaker landed on the slim sill of the open window to Adrien's room. He was standing right there, looking up at her in surprise and fear. She relished that expression on him as he stumbled back.

"So, you think it was fun to toy with my emotions, Adrien?" her voice came out with surprising calm but laced with venom, "Do you still want to dump me?"

"M-Marinette?" he exclaimed, stumbling back more, "You've been akumatized!"

"I'm not Marinette anymore," Heartbreaker jumped casually down from the window, "now I'm Heartbreaker. I found someone who cared about my feelings, enough to help me do something about it, unlike you."

"Please, Marinette," Adrien begged, taking an uncertain step forward, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want to hurt you!"

"Shut up!" she shouted. With a quick hop forward her leg shot out and kicked him right in the chin, sending him sprawling on his back. She could hear Hawk Moth's voice suddenly protest – _why does this bother him so much?_ – but she brushed it off.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said weakly, trying to lift himself into a sitting position on the floor, "I'm so sorry…"

"Not yet," Heartbreaker reached a hand into her pouch, pulling out a dagger and readying it as she took a couple steps forward, standing directly over him, "but you will be."

She looked down at his face, relishing the look of fear in his eyes. Despite his fear, he didn't avert his gaze, rather he met her stare, unflinching, with a look of… acceptance. He was scared, but he was willing to accept whatever fate she had in store for him.

Heartbreaker's hand wavered. Her intense sadness and anger was once again penetrated by memories of love that she had once felt. Those eyes, those beautiful green eyes, had once given her such joy when they focused on her. Looking at them now, seeing the look of repentance in them, of true regret for his actions, her despair almost seemed to melt away. As much as she wanted to drive her dagger into his heart, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

At that moment, Hawk Moth broke through her will again, and now she could no longer ignore his voice. "Enough of this," he said, "You need to draw Ladybug and Cat Noir to you, now! Or I'll take away your powers!"

"Yes, Hawk Moth," she acquiesced, drawing her hand back and putting the dagger away. She took one last look at those eyes, then turned around and leapt back into the night.


	10. Part 1 - Chapter 10

Still reeling from the experience, Adrien found himself unable to move for a moment. He let his head fall back on the ground, reaching up a hand to rub his sore chin. _That's definitely going to bruise._

"This is bad!" Plagg said, coming out of wherever he had been hiding. Luckily, the kwami had gotten out of sight before Heartbreaker arrived.

"I know!" Adrien nearly growled with frustration at himself, "I can't believe I got Marinette akumatized. I'm such an idiot!"

"Y-Yeah," Plagg said hesitantly, "that's really, really bad." He looked away, like there was something else bothering him about the situation, but Adrien was too distracted to notice.

"We have to transform, Plagg," he said, finally pulling himself onto his feet, "I need to save her. Plagg, claw's out!"

"Wait, I need to…!" Plagg started to say, but too late. The kwami was pulled into Adrien's ring, charging it with the power of destruction. As the magic of the miraculous washed over him, replacing his outfit with his iconic, black cat suit, he felt that surge of strength, agility, and confidence that always came with it. He hated the idea of fighting his own friend, but it was the only way to save her. Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped out the window to look for her.

Jumping across the rooftops, it wasn't long before he heard the sounds of wailing from nearby. He looked down and saw a frightening sight. There was a huge mass of people – on the sidewalks, in the street, and in cars – all collapsed on the sidewalk and crying desperately. Some were on their knees, others on their hands and knees, others were curled up in fetal position, but all were wailing helplessly. No small amount of destruction had also been wrought as well, with cars having crashes into traffic lights, street signs, and one another while their drivers buried their heads in the airbags and wept, unaware of the cuts and bruises they had sustained from the impact. All around them, people were fleeing, and at the end of this scene was Heartbreaker. As frightening as she was beautiful, she danced through the streets, a graceful harbinger of despair, her daggers flying and stabbing in every direction.

Cat Noir moved quickly, racing across the rooftops until he was in the right position. He leaped, extending his staff until it hit the ground right in front of Heartbreaker. He felt the impact reverberate through the staff as he began to descend, landing in the street right in front of her.

"I think that's enough cat-astrophe for one day," he said, trying to put on a smile and a confident face. He failed on both accounts. Despite the normal confidence and cool air he gained while transformed, today his nerves were shot from his close call and the weight of guilt.

"I was wondering when you would show up, dumb cat," the choked voice responded, "Are you ready to dance?" She deftly pulled two daggers from her pouch, one for each hand, and charged him.

* * *

Heartbreaker launched herself through the air, trying to forget what she felt as she stared into Adrien's eyes. She didn't love him anymore, she hated him now. There was nothing for her but sorrow in those eyes. Then why couldn't she do it? Why did she hesitate?

That didn't matter for now. Now her goal was to play along with Hawk Moth's game. She would get the Cat Noir miraculous like she promised, then deliver her own earrings to Hawk Moth. Then she would relish in the despair of Hawk Moth as he realized the Ladybug kwami was nowhere to be found, making the earrings useless, then his greater despair as he realized he didn't know the incantation to unlock the ultimate power he sought. That would be the greatest pleasure for her, to watch as his goals were finally realized only to have his hopes and dreams shattered.

It wasn't so late that the streets were empty yet and Paris was a big city, so there were plenty of people to be found. She leaped across a few buildings until she found a nice, crowded road. It wouldn't take her long to get Cat Noir to show up and try to save the day. In the meantime, she got to have some fun.

Heartbreaker jumped, flipped, and landed expertly in the middle of the road, surrounded by people. Before anyone was fully aware of what was going on, she was moving through them, daggers flashing. Jumping, spinning, weaving, and somersaulting down the streets she went, just a blur to most people, as her daggers were pulled and tossed or stabbed into every heart along the way. Very quickly she was leaving behind her a trail of pitiful wailing as her victims were gripped in utter despair.

Many of her daggers when crashing through windshields, striking the drivers on the road. Soon cars were careening out of control as their drivers were consumed with sorrow. They began crashing into everything around, including each other, and coming perilously close to running over the people lying on the sidewalk, caught up in their own misery.

People were starting to scatter, making it harder for her daggers to hit their targets. They would only work when they struck the heart, but they could home in if she got them close. The people with their backs turned were nearly impossible to hit, so instead she focused on the ones who were easy, immobilized by fear or too absorbed in their phones to realize what was going on. More and more people were falling victim to…

 _Clang!_ Heartbreaker slammed headfirst into something metallic. She recoiled and stepped back, getting ready for what came next. Sure enough, the long metal pole that had appeared in front of her shrunk down to size as Cat Noir slid down to the ground, taking up a combat position in front of her. His expression was grim… and was that a bruise on his chin?

"I think that's enough cat-astrophe for one day," he said, his mouth flickering into a smile for a moment. Despite the pun, he was clearly not his normal self tonight.

"I was wondering when you would show up, dumb cat," Heartbreaker smiled confidently, "Are you ready to dance?" She pulled out two daggers, one for each hand, and charged.


	11. Part 1 - Chapter 11

Heartbreaker attacked swiftly. Cat Noir split his baton, parrying every blow that came at him, but still he was driven back. He did his best to keep up with her, but somehow every time he blocked, the next attack was already there, exploiting whatever opening he had provided. He did his best to focus, to analyze her attack patterns, but the cacophony of wails from Heartbreaker's victims were filling his ears, amplified by his enhanced senses, and it was _very_ distracting.

 _She's attacking so quickly!_ he thought. He was pushed to the limit just holding her back with no opportunity to retaliate. If not for his lightning fast, magically empowered reflexes, combined with his skill in dueling thanks to his fencing lessons, he would've been easily outclassed.

Hoping to change the pace of battle, he jumped back with a flip. As he landed, a dagger was already flying at him, mere inches from piercing his chest. He deflected it at the last second, but another one was already headed for him, and another. Soon he was running to get away, deflecting a barrage of daggers thrown at him. The way they were thrown was precise, each one exactly on target. It was as though she always knew exactly where he would be, no matter how he dodged or deflected.

Finally, Cat Noir ducked behind a car stopped on the road, the sound of the driver crying filling his ears, causing him to growl with frustration. How could he fight her when she was so fast? _No, she's not that fast,_ he was starting to realize, _it's like she knows my fighting style! She_ always _knows what I'm going to do. Has Marinette watched me fight_ that _often?_

"Come on out and fight me, kitty!" Heartbreaker called out, "Or are you a scaredy-cat?"

He recombined his staff as he considered his next move. The pouch must be where the akuma is, he had to get to that. Despite the noise surrounding him, he was still able to make out the sound of her footsteps steadily approaching the car from the other side. He listened carefully as she came closer. He heard a heavy step… a jump! He looked up just in time to see her coming, but his hand was already at the ready. "Cataclysm!" he shouted, leaping into the air, his hand aiming for her pouch.

Cat Noir was precise with his attack, hand outstretched to grab the akumatized pouch and end this battle here and now. He saw Heartbreaker's eyes go wide as she realized what was about to happen. Her reflexes were too good, though, and she twisted out of the way just in time, his hand passing through empty air.

Cat Noir did a backflip and landed on the car behind him, holding his staff and power of destruction at the ready. His attack had missed, and that meant he had to hurry. It would only be a few minutes before he turned back, then the battle would be over for _him._

Heartbreaker landed in a crouch, her back to him. She glanced over her shoulder, considering her options, but he couldn't give her the opportunity to plan. He needed to attack now and hope for an opening, and for his Lady to show up and help soon. _Where are you, Ladybug?_

He leapt forward, pressing the attack before Heartbreaker could fully recover. She pulled her daggers again, countering his initial strike, but he kept at her, this time keeping her on the defensive. His cataclysm was tricky to use right here. He needed to make sure he didn't waste it on one of her daggers by accident, but he also had to keep it threatening her.

Once again, Heartbreaker seemed too fast for him to land any hits, but as he watched her, he realized that she _was_ predicting his attacks. _How does Marinette know my style so well?_ he wondered. He rarely ever saw her during his fights, now that he thought about it. Just at that moment, he heard the sharp _beep beep_ of his ring. He needed to hurry.

"Looks like you're nothing without your Bugaboo, huh kitty?" Heartbreaker's choked voice taunted him.

"I can beat you on my own," he growled, not letting her distract him. _Where was she, though?_

"You better, it looks like she's not showing up," she went on, eyeing him darkly, "I'm sure she's watching right now, waiting for you to lose. She's always wanted to get rid of you anyway!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, feeling his anger rising. Those words cut deep. They were words he always feared hearing Ladybug say to him, words he had only heard spoken aloud from the Nightmare Ladybug he faced with Sandboy. Did Marinette know about that? She seemed to understand him as well as he understood himself.

"She never loved you!" Heartbreaker shouted, echoing Nightmare Ladybug again, "She never will love you! She _hates_ you!"

"SHUT UP!" he shouted again. _It's not true,_ he told himself, losing his focus on the battle, _It's not true!_

Throwing caution to the wind, Cat Noir started swinging his cataclysm hand more wildly, trying to throw Heartbreaker off her rhythm. He needed to finish this battle _now._ His emotional state made rational thought difficult at that moment. Between the taunts, the constant wailing still pervading the street around him, and the ever-present guilt for his treatment of Marinette that caused this mess, the one thing he could _not_ do was think clearly.

He was caught completely off-guard, then, when Heartbreaker suddenly dropped a dagger and grabbed his baton. Before he realized what she was doing, she twisted it toward his other hand, slamming it straight into his palm. The cataclysm took effect immediately as rust spread across the surface of the otherwise indestructible weapon. _No!_ he chided himself internally, looking on helplessly, _how could I be so reckless!_ Soon the dust of his weapon's remnants was scattering in the wind.

* * *

Note: Someone posted an anonymous comment, so I can't reply to it, but I wanted to provide an answer. In Mayura, we see Cat Noir using his baton in his cataclysm hand, implying that even cataclysm can't destroy it. However, Thomas Astruc stated that this was an animation error. Source: /Thomas_Astruc/status/1060579368475467777


	12. Part 1 - Chapter 12

Cat Noir had lost. With his only weapon disintegrating in his hands and his cataclysm spent, he had nothing to defend himself. Even with them, Heartbreaker was too much for him, without them, he was next to useless.

"Come here, kitty!" Heartbreaker's voice called out as she grabbed his wrist, "Time to give me your ring."

"Never!" he shouted, trying to pull away, but her grip was iron tight. "Ladybug! Wherever you are, I need you!" he shouted, praying that she was nearby. _I need you, now more than ever…_

"She won't come," Heartbreaker said in her choked voice, a tone of utter confidence to her words that sent a chill down Cat Noir's spine. She was reaching up to pull off his ring just as another _beep beep_ sounded out. He had to get out of here, fast!

Seeing a car right behind him, Cat Noir twisted quickly, swinging Heartbreaker right into it. She growled in anger as her grip loosened, allowing Cat Noir to pull free. He looked around quickly, trying to find the best point of escape, the sound of wailing all around muddling his thinking.

"Come on, now, kitty," Heartbreaker pulled a couple of daggers, readying herself to strike, "Your ring would look so good with my _earrings_ , don't you think?"

 _What does she mean by that?_ he wondered, eyeing briefly the plain, black earrings she wore. Maybe something of Marinette's interest in fashion carried over into this form? It was a bizarre thought, but he didn't have the time to think about it right now.

"Not today, Heartbreaker," he said, trying to rebuild his confidence despite the dire situation. He started to turn just as the daggers came flying at him. He dodged them easily before half-leaping, half-running up the nearest building.

"Come back, scaredy-cat!" Heartbreaker shouted, following close behind. He knew these rooftops well at this point, after all the times he'd leapt across them, he just had to find a place he could shake her. An idea came to him and he turned, jumping as he reached the edge of the rooftop.

"You need to come up with new puns!" he shouted back at Heartbreaker, landing gracefully on the next building. He continued running, keeping an eye behind him to dodge any daggers, but none were thrown for some reason. After jumping a few rooftops, he found what he was looking for. The building across the street was lower, so he could jump to it and disappear from sight for a moment. That moment was all he needed.

He jumped, but instead of landing on the roof, his hand grabbed to the edge of the rooftop as he planted his feet on the wall. He turned to face the building he had just jumped from, scanning it quickly. _There!_ he felt relieved and excited to find what he was looking for. Bracing himself, he pushed off the wall and straight into an open window across the street, rolling into a crouch in a darkened kitchen.

As soon as he was in, he quickly pulled up against the wall beside the window. Then he stopped and listened. His ears twitched as he picked up the sound of his pursuer, stepping to the edge of the roof. They hesitated, then turned and headed away.

 _Beep beep!_ Two minutes left. Cat Noir didn't want to risk leaving just yet. He considered walking out the front door of the building, but he didn't know who might see him when he transformed back. He waited for a full minute until the next beep of his ring, then quietly shifted to look out the window.

There was no one there, not even anyone in the street. At this point, news of the akuma attack would've spread and there would be very few people about, especially on a small, side street like this one. He waited a few precious seconds, painfully aware that his transformation was on the brink of ending, before taking the chance. He jumped out quietly, climbing his way down to the street and walking into the shadowed mouth of an alley just as his ring sounded its last _beep_. He felt the magic wash over him as it expired, holding out his hand to catch Plagg when he rematerialized.

"I'm soooo hungry," Plagg whined as he landed, lying face up with his eyes closed.

"This is a disaster, Plagg," Adrien said as he fished out a piece of cheese from his jacket and handed it to the hungry kwami, "She's too strong, and why didn't Ladybug show up?" He looked out into the night sky as though expecting to see her swinging by, but there was no one there.

"Yeah, this is terrible!" Plagg exclaimed suddenly, not even taking a bite before hovering in the air to face Adrien. He was surprised to see the kwami get this concerned. Normally he was absurdly chill.

"Yeah," Adrien agreed, looking back at Plagg with concern, "I can't beat her alone. What should we do?"

"Well, we can't wait for Ladybug to show up," Plagg tried sounding nonchalant about it, "We need to see Master Fu. I can give you his address; it's not far from here."

"Great idea, Plagg," Adrien nodded, his face showing his determination, "Which way?"


	13. Part 1 - Chapter 13

Adrien ran through the streets toward the address Plagg gave him. It wasn't far; he could make it by foot while Plagg ate his cheese. As he ran, pausing occasionally to check for signs of Heartbreaker, his thoughts were focused on Ladybug. _What could be taking her so long?_ he began to grow concerned, _did Heartbreaker get to her before she attacked me? What if something happened to her?!_

He began to consider a whole list of terrible scenarios that could have occurred. He felt angry, and he wanted to take out that anger on Heartbreaker. _No,_ he reminded himself, _it was_ my _fault,_ I'm _the one I should be angry with._ He had tried to distract himself from it, but he _was_ angry with himself, painfully aware of his culpability in Marinette's akumatization.

Soon he found himself at Master Fu's door, knocking a little too hard. He heard a voice answer and opened the door slowly.

"Come in, Adrien," Master Fu called out. He was sitting in a meditative position on the floor, his expression grim. Did he know what had happened?

"Master!" Plagg flew forward to speak to him directly, his voice extremely troubled, "I know I wasn't supposed to bring him here, but it's an emergency!"

"Yes, I know, Plagg," Master Fu answered with a sigh.

"Master," Adrien came in, closing the door behind him, "my friend was akumatized, and she's too strong for me, but Ladybug isn't showing up. Do you know what happened to her?"

"I'm afraid Ladybug will not be able to help you tonight," Master Fu sighed, closing his eyes, "It seems she has lost her miraculous."

"What?!" Adrien exclaimed, his eyes wide, "But… But how?"

"It's a long story," came a high-pitched voice. Suddenly a red kwami with black spots came flying up to him, "but don't worry, she'll find it soon, just not in time to help you tonight."

"Oh," Adrien blinked, "I guess you must be Ladybug's kwami?"

"That's right," the kwami smiled, her optimistic attitude shining through, "I'm Tikki. Nice to meet you, Cat Noir!"

"Nice to meet you, too," Adrien smiled, finding her optimism infectious, then he became serious again as he turned to face Master Fu, "Then what can I do?"

"You must choose an ally to help you," he said, getting to his feet. He went over to an old phonograph at the back of the room, pressing the front panel with both thumbs. Adrien stepped closer to see the panel flip open, revealing a series of unmarked buttons, which Master Fu pressed in quick succession. Suddenly the top of the phonograph flipped open as an octagonal box lifted out of it. Master Fu took this, then turned and knelt on the ground, indicating for Adrien to follow suit. He opened the box, revealing the treasure within.

"The miraculous," Adrien stared in wonder as he saw all the side drawers of the box slide open, revealing their precious contents. In the top section were the most powerful: the fox, the bee, and empty spaces for his own ring, Ladybug's earrings, the turtle, the butterfly, and the peacock.

"Adrien Agreste," Master Fu said solemnly, "pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you on this mission. Choose wisely; such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll retrieve the miraculous from them."

Adrien's eyes focused on the two still in the main section: the fox and the bee. He didn't know who Rena Rouge was, but he did know Queen Bee, and he knew he could trust her as an ally in a fight. Her power of subjection would be just what needed to get the akuma from Heartbreaker. With a determined look, he pulled the bee miraculous from the miracle box.

Soon he was jumping through the city, with his baton to aid him again, but trying to remain stealthy to avoid drawing attention in case Heartbreaker was nearby. While he didn't see her, he did find evidence of her passage. He came across more victims wailing in the streets, some alone, others in groups. In the distance he saw a news helicopter, luckily far from his destination, which he hoped would point him toward Heartbreaker when it was time.

It wasn't long before he landed on the balcony outside Chloé Bourgeois' room. He quickly moved to open the door, then hesitated with his hand on the handle as he realized what he was doing. _No time for embarrassment,_ he told himself with a shake of his head, _I just hope she's not in the shower…_

"Chloé?" he called out as he entered the room, looking around for her. He quickly spotted her sitting on her bed, dressed in a nightgown as she brushed her hair.

"Cat Noir?" she gave him a quizzical look, "What are you doing here?" Her tone was accusatory, clearly suspicious.

"I need help, Chloé," he explained, stepping forward, "and Ladybug isn't around to give it tonight, so you need to take her place." With that, he casually tossed the bee miraculous to her. She caught it deftly.

"I get to be Ladybug," Chloé exclaimed, excited by the prospect. She opened the small box in her hands, causing a yellow spark to fly out as Pollen materialized.

"You get to be Queen Bee," Car Noir corrected her, "but you'll be filling in for Ladybug."

"Hello, my queen," Pollen said, ever respectful, with a slight bow.

"That means I get to be the leader," Chloé stated, "We both know you can't make decisions yourself."

"Just transform already," Cat Noir rolled his eyes, then turned back to the balcony. From behind him, he heard Chloé confidently declaring, "Pollen, buzz on!" A moment later Queen Bee was standing beside him.

"Well? Let's go already!" she insisted. Seeing the news helicopter in the sky, she quickly tossed out her top and made a beeline for it, Cat Noir right beside her.


	14. Part 1 - Chapter 14

Heartbreaker had run rampant through the streets, bringing sorrow and misery to anyone she came across. A few of the victims were kids she recognized from school, some were even classmates, but it had failed to satisfy the need she had to see others suffer. Nothing she did satisfied her need for spreading misery. Now she just wanted to deliver the miraculous to Hawk Moth and shatter _his_ dreams, then she could get back to Adrien. Above her, a news helicopter hovered, keeping a camera trained on her.

 _Where is Cat Noir?_ she wondered. He had been gone for a while at this point, was it possible he went to Master Fu's? _No, he doesn't know where Master Fu lives,_ she reminded herself, _even_ I'm _not supposed to know._ She had considered heading there just in case, but in the end she didn't, and she wasn't quite sure why. It could've been that she didn't want Hawk Moth knowing where the guardian lived because that would make him too happy, or it could've been that, deep down, the voice of Ladybug was holding her back.

After growing impatient waiting for Cat Noir's return, she decided she should pay the master a visit, just in case. As she started getting to her feet, she heard the sound of a couple pairs of feet hitting the rooftop behind her. Turning swiftly, she pulled two daggers and threw them at the two figures. One was knocked aside by a metal baton, the other impacted on a string spinning so fast it created a shield.

 _Queen Bee,_ Heartbreaker grimaced, _so he_ does _know where Master Fu lives. I should've gone sooner…_

"Ladybug isn't with him?" came Hawk Moth's voice, silent for some time until now, "No matter, deal with him now, and don't let him escape again."

"Please, stop this," Cat Noir pleaded, "You're better than this, Marinette, you have to fight it!"

"I'm not Marinette, I'm Heartbreaker," she corrected him. _How does he know who I am?_

"That's Marinette?" Queen Bee said incredulously, "How did she get akumatized? She's, like, the nicest person."

"What?" both Cat Noir and Heartbreaker looked at her in shock.

"Whatever," she shrugged, "it's not like she'll remember I said that."

Heartbreaker ignored the comment for now and focused on the task at hand. "So, I see you _do_ know where the miraculous are hidden, kitty," she taunted him, pulling out a couple more daggers, "Too bad you chose the worst partner to join you. Does Ladybug not trust you with anyone else's identity?"

"You won't be saying that about me once I've paralyzed you," Queen Bee threatened. Surprisingly, she was pretty good at keeping her cool when she was Queen Bee, so it would take more to really upset her.

"Are you sure you want to be here right now, _Chloé_?" Heartbreaker turned to her, "and not taking care of your precious _Adrikins_?"

"Adrien?" she looked concerned; now Heartbreaker had her attention, "What happened to him?"

"Oh, you should've seen it," Heartbreaker went on, taking pleasure in her worried expression, "I kicked him right in the face."

"Adrikins!" Queen Bee shouted in dismay. She was genuinely concerned now.

"Don't listen to her, Queen Bee!" Cat Noir shouted at her.

"That's nothing compared to what I did to him next," Heartbreaker went on, ignoring him, "He's probably still writhing in pain in his room. Maybe you should go to him."

"How dare you!" Queen Bee shouted, her concern turning to anger, "How dare you, _Dupain-Cheng_!"

"Forget it, Queen Bee!" Cat Noir shouted, "She's lying!"

 _I am, but how does he know?_ Heartbreaker asked herself, her frown deepening. He didn't protest when she claimed to have kicked him, only her claim of doing more than that, and he sounded confident in his declaration. _Maybe he checked on Adrien on the way here, or…_ She studied his face again, seeing once more the bruise that had developed on his chin. A bruise in the exact spot she had kicked Adrien. Her eyes went wide as the explanation came to her, one she had actively rejected before, but now it was so obvious she couldn't deny it.

"That's enough, we'll have to do this the hard way," Cat Noir said.

The two of them attacked together. They didn't have the coordination that Ladybug and Cat Noir had, but they still worked well enough. Heartbreaker was able to hold them off at first, but she needed to separate them in order to take the advantage.

Heartbreaker leapt away from them, gaining some distance, before tossing a few daggers toward the news helicopter still hovering nearby. The reporter and cameraman sitting in the open door were both struck, while a third dagger shattered the windshield and hit the pilot. Cat Noir shouted in surprise and jumped off to catch the reporter starting to fall into open air, wrapped in their misery.

"You'll pay for what you did to Adrikins!" Queen Bee shouted, holding up her right hand, "Venom!" A bee's stinger appeared around her upraised fist, charged with the power of subjection. Immediately she began to attack with it. This was actually more dangerous than dodging cataclysm was. This time she couldn't waste it on something random, nor did Queen Bee have to worry about accidentally hitting a dagger. The only chance was to control the rhythm of battle, turn the tide in her favor.

She did a backflip, putting some distance between them, before launching a barrage of daggers at her. Queen Bee deflected them easily, using one hand to spin her top while maintaining her venom with the other. Off to the side, Heartbreaker saw Cat Noir was still busy dealing with the helicopter. _That should keep him busy long enough to deal with Queen Bee,_ she thought with satisfaction.

"Too bad you missed it," Heartbreaker shouted, "when I pummeled Adrien. I don't think he'll ever be a model again."

"I don't believe you!" Queen Bee shouted back, attacking with both top and stinger.

"I made such a mess, too," she went on, running around Queen Bee in circles while throwing daggers at her, "I don't think even Ladybug could fix it."

"How dare you! Shut up!" Queen Bee was losing her cool. Somehow, though, it didn't disrupt her attack pattern. She continued to attack with precision, becoming, if anything, more dangerous the angrier she got. She was like an angry hornet, made more deadly by prodding. Heartbreaker needed a different tactic, and she needed to get past that top.

It came flying at her again, but instead of dodging or deflecting it this time, she willingly stuck out her right hand, allowing the string to wrap around her. Before Queen Bee could take advantage of her catch, though, Heartbreaker herself grabbed the line and pulled. Queen Bee stumbled forward onto her knees, right in front of her.

"I knew you were useless," she whispered, stabbing the dagger in her free hand straight at Queen Bee's heart.


	15. Part 1 - Chapter 15

The dagger never connected. A metal pole came shooting out of nowhere, knocking it out of her hand. Before she could react, it slammed into her chest, knocking her back.

 _No! I thought I had more time!_ Heartbreaker gritted her teeth as she skidded back, keeping on her feet. She saw Cat Noir coming over now. She tried jumping back to get to a more advantage position, but a tug on her arm stopped her. The top! It was still wrapped around her arm, but now Queen Bee was back in control of it, pulling at it to keep Heartbreaker trapped.

"It's over now," Cat Noir said, coming over. He tried slamming his staff down on her pouch, but she dodged the blow.

She was _not_ in a good position, but she wasn't about to give up. Cat Noir moved in closer and Queen Bee still had her stinger at the ready, though the _beep beep_ of her miraculous told her that wouldn't last much longer. She reached her hand to her pouch, willing her daggers to come out and attack her enemy. They responded readily to her command, flying at her enemies, keeping them at bay.

Heartbreaker's focus was entirely on Cat Noir now. Her daggers flew at both of her enemies, all skillfully deflected, but that was more of a distraction. _This is all_ his _fault,_ she told herself, feeling her anger rising as she watched the superhero dodging and deflecting her projectiles, _everything is_ his _fault, now he's going to feel sorrow like he made_ me _feel sorrow!_

As he dodged, Heartbreaker saw an opening. Her frown deepened as she grabbed one of her flying daggers out of the air, leaping forward with it. His staff was to the side, having just deflected a blow, and his chest was wide open. Nothing could stop her from taking her revenge now. She drove her dagger forward, right at his heart.

"Now you're going to suffer, Ad-!"

Heartbreaker felt an impact in her side, accompanied by a sharp sting. Her hand hovered in the air, gripping the dagger tightly, it's tip barely a hairsbreadth away from Cat Noir's chest. But she couldn't move it. Every muscle in her body had locked up tight, unwilling to move. She couldn't blink, she couldn't talk, and she felt that even her lungs were locked in place. She desperately tried to inhale, but her diaphragm wouldn't budge. She didn't feel like she was suffocating, though, more like her body was held in some kind of stasis, a form of living death. All she could do was watch as Queen Bee stepped into view, the stinger from her hand now gone as its energy had been spent.

"Nooo!" Hawk Moth shouted in her mind, realizing what had happened, "How did you fail, Heartbreaker!"

She couldn't answer, all she could do was watch helplessly as Queen Bee unwrapped her top, looking quite shaken, and crossed her arms at her. Cat Noir took a step back, sweat beading his brow from the close call. Then he came over to Heartbreaker, pulling the pouch off her thigh. Just before he tore it asunder, freeing the akuma and removing her powers, he leaned in extremely close, putting his mouth to her ear.

"I'm sorry, Marinette," he whispered.

 _Adrien…_

Then all went black.

* * *

Marinette blinked her eyes open. She was on the ground on her hands and knees – except it wasn't the ground – still wearing her dress, her loose hair hanging around her face. _Where am I?_ she wondered. Looking around, it seemed she was on a rooftop, and Cat Noir and Queen Bee were nearby pounding fists. Marinette shifted into a sitting position as she tried to remember what had happened.

The date… The rejection… The akuma! _I've been akumatized!_ Marinette realized with horror.

"I think this is yours," Cat Noir said, holding out her purse to her, a huge tear down the middle.

Panic consumed her. She grabbed it quickly, pulling it open wide, and looked inside while shouting, "Tikki!" She wasn't in there, though. _She must be back at home,_ Marinette reasoned, _I hope she's ok…_ If she was akumatized, then there was an akuma loose now that needed to be cleansed. She had to find Tikki quickly, transform, cleanse the akuma, and fix whatever damage she had caused.

"Please take me home, Cat Noir," she pleaded with him, "I've had a rough night." He had a strange look in his eyes as he regarded her, but he gave an affirmative nod.

"So, what are we doing with this thing?" Queen Bee asked in a disgusted tone. Marinette saw now that her top's string was wrapped around an akuma, struggling against its bonds. A normal butterfly would have been torn to pieces by the top, but the magically-charged akuma was merely inconvenienced. Marinette felt a chill run down her spine seeing it. She had seen plenty of akumas before, but this was the first one that actually infected _her_.

"Do you think you could find something at home to put it in?" Cat Noir asked as Queen Bee's miraculous beeped loudly, "I'll come by after to get it, but first I want to get Marinette home."

"Yeah, whatever," she agreed. She unwrapped the top from the akuma, grabbing it instead in her hand, before tossing the top out again to jump to the next building. "Bug out!" she shouted as she flew off.

 _That's my line!_ Marinette grimaced at the retreating figure. Not that she could say that aloud, of course. Besides, there were more important matters to deal with.

"Are you ready?" Cat Noir asked her, offering a hand to help her to her feet. He was looking at her with a soft expression. If Marinette didn't know any better, she might've interpreted that look as admiration. She gracefully accepted the hand, holding her purse with the other, allowing him to pull her to her feet before he lifted her up and jumped off into the night.

* * *

Cat Noir tore the bag apart, freeing the akuma inside. As he tried to consider how they were going to trap it, Queen Bee's top flew out, its cord wrapping around the black butterfly. The magically-charged akuma couldn't be killed like that, but it did effectively keep it restrained.

"Good job, Queen Bee," Cat Noir smiled at her, relaxing for the first time that evening. As one, they both shouted, "Pound it!" as they shared the traditional fist bump.

Turning, Cat Noir saw Marinette sitting up now, looking confused, then horrified as understanding seemed to dawn on her. He picked up the now-torn purse and offered it to her.

"I think this is yours," he said, giving an encouraging smile. It would have to wait until Ladybug found her miraculous before it was whole again.

With a sense of urgency that Cat Noir found alarming, Marinette grabbed the purse, tearing it open wide to look inside, and shouted, "Tikki!"

A cold shiver swept through Cat Noir's body. Tikki. He had heard that name already that very night.

 _Tikki is Ladybug's kwami. Marinette is looking for Tikki. That means… Marinette is…_

Cat Noir felt his heart start to beat rapidly. He found it hard to breathe as his mind reeled with epiphany. Despite himself, he was staring dumbfounded at Marinette, unable to look away. Just like in her akumatized form, she was wearing a simple, round, black earring on each ear. Heartbreaker's words came back to him: _Your ring would look so good with my earrings, don't you think?_

"Please take me home, Cat Noir," Marinette asked him desperately, snapping him back to attention, "I've had a rough night." He regarded her curiously, suddenly seeing not the soft-spoken, kind-hearted girl, but a strong, powerful woman, one who roamed the rooftops with superhuman strength, fighting with unfailing courage and ingenuity. Blinking a couple times to remember what was said, he gave a simple nod, not trusting his mouth to work at that moment.

"So, what are we doing with this thing?" Queen Bee asked nearby, reminding Cat Noir of the task at hand. He turned and saw she still held the akuma helplessly in the cord of her top.

"Do you think you could find something at home to put it in?" Cat Noir asked her hopefully, just as her miraculous beeped loudly, "I'll come by after to get it, but first I want to get Marinette home."

"Yeah, whatever," she agreed. She released the akuma from her top, holding it instead in her hand. With her top free again, she tossed it off to jump to the next building. "Bug out!" she shouted as she leaped away. Cat Noir forgot about her quickly, turning his attention back to the girl… No, to his lady, sitting at his feet and waiting for his help.

"Are you ready?" he asked her, offering her a hand. There were so many other words he wanted to say to her, but now was not the time for them. First he needed to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his suspicions were true, but already in his heart he knew it was so. He pulled his lady to her feet, held her delicately in her arms, and jumped off in the direction of her home.


	16. Part 1 - Chapter 16

Cat Noir leapt expertly across the rooftops, holding Marinette secure in his arms. She felt his heart pounding as they traveled, but Marinette was too distracted to think about it, worried instead about the sound of wailing in the streets they jumped over. Despite herself, she looked down to see clusters of people collapsed on the ground, all crying piteously. She felt tears begin to well up in her cheeks, knowing that she was the cause of all that pain. _I'm going to fix this,_ she reminded herself, _soon this will all be over._

They alighted on her balcony, but Cat Noir didn't put her down immediately. She looked up at him and saw he was regarding her with a certain fondness in his eyes, a look she usually only saw as Ladybug. It made her blush and turn away when she saw that.

"You can put me down, now," she said softly.

"Oh, sorry," he said suddenly, as though coming back to attention. He gently put her down, allowing her to stand on her own two feet, but it felt like he did so reluctantly.

"Thank you, Cat Noir," she told him, not looking him directly in the eye, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable around him, "and… I'm sorry, if I did anything to hurt you."

"Huh?" Cat Noir sounded surprised, "No, of course not! I'm fine."

"But you have a bruise on your chin," she pointed out, "It's pretty hard to miss."

"Oh, that," Cat Noir rubbed his chin, wincing at the pain, "Don't worry about it. Once Ladybug fixes everything, I'll be fine."

 _Yeah, and I need you to leave so I can do that,_ was what Marinette wanted to say. "Don't you need to go help Queen Bee with the akuma?" was what she said instead.

"Oh, right!" he said, turning to leap away. He seemed unusually distracted tonight. "Good night, M-Marinette." With that, he leaped off into the night.

* * *

Cat Noir leapt through the city, holding Marinette close. Could it really be true? Could she really be Ladybug? Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but it just explained so much! Her comment about the earrings, her understanding of his fighting style, and her knowledge of what Nightmare Ladybug had said. Also, didn't Ladybug say something to him about losing a miraculous when he had been turned into a statue by Style Queen? That's the same excuse Master Fu used for Ladybug.

He could feel his heart pounding, so hard he was certain Marinette could feel it, too. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Ladybug was always ready whenever something happened at school, just like he was. She was never around when Ladybug was, except that one time with Timebreaker, and then there were two Ladybugs. _How could I have not seen it before?_

In short order, they landed on Marinette's balcony, but Cat Noir was in no hurry to let Marinette go. _It really is her, isn't it?_ he was coming to terms with this epiphany, staring at her lovingly. She shifted uncomfortably in his arms.

"You can put me down, now," she said softly, turning away from his gaze.

"Oh, sorry," he said snapping back to reality. He did so, but reluctantly. He had no desire to let his lady go now that he had finally found her.

"Thank you, Cat Noir," she said, not quite looking him in the eye, "and… I'm sorry, if I did anything to hurt you."

"Huh?" he wasn't even thinking of his pain anymore, "No, of course not! I'm fine."

"But you have a bruise on your chin," she pointed out, "It's pretty hard to miss."

"Oh, that," that had been hurting him all evening, but he was just ignoring it at this point. He tried rubbing his chin to show that it didn't really hurt, but instead he winced at the pain. "Don't worry about it. Once Ladybug fixes everything, I'll be fine," he reassured her.

"Don't you need to go help Queen Bee with the akuma?" she reminded him.

"Oh, right!" he said, finally turning away from her. Before he leapt away, he turned toward her one more time. "Good night, M-Marinette," he said, catching himself before calling her M'lady. Then he leapt off into the night.


	17. Part 1 - Chapter 17

Cat Noir hurried back to Chloé's hotel. He found her waiting impatiently on the balcony, no longer as Queen Bee. She held a shoebox in her hands with the miraculous box sitting on top of it.

"What took you so long?" she asked with an accusatory tone.

"I was, uh, looking for Ladybug on the way back," he said. _Not entirely false,_ he told himself.

"Oh, did you find her?" Chloé asked with genuine interest.

"Not yet," he responded guardedly, "Is this the akuma?"

"Yeah, these shoes were so last month," she explained, "So I tossed them and took the box."

"Gotcha," Cat Noir took the boxes from her and turned to leave.

"Cat Noir," she called to him, "Was it true what she said? About Adrikins?"

Cat Noir paused and gave her a reassuring smile, "Nah, I saw him on my way to fight her the first time. He's just fine."

"Oh, good," Chloé visibly relaxed.

"And Chloé?" he added, "I didn't just choose you just because I know your identity, I chose you because I know I can trust you."

"Thank you, Cat Noir," Chloé responded with a smile. It was a genuine smile, a smile of gratitude. Few had the pleasure of seeing that expression on Chloé's face, but Adrien had seen it plenty growing up with her. She _could_ show gratitude, it was just hard for her, given how little of it was shown to her.

Cat Noir gave her a small, two-finger salute as he jumped back into the night. He was not headed back to Master Fu's, though, at least not yet. First, he made his way back to Marinette's. Peeking through the open trapdoor, he saw her on her knees on the floor. She stood up suddenly, heading for the stairs down.

"Where are you going?" he called out to her. She jumped in surprise, turning to face him. She seemed suspicious.

"Uh, no!" she said quickly, stammering in her usual, nervous way, "I was just, uh, going to make sure my parents are ok!"

"Oh, ok," Cat Noir replied carefully, "because I thought you were looking for Tikki."

He saw the expression on her face change as he said that. He wasn't trying to scare her, though that seemed to be the effect of his words, but he had to know. He had waited for so long, and now he was so close to knowing the truth finally.

"Uh, who?" she responded after a significant pause and a blank, wide-eyed stare.

"Marinette," Cat Noir spoke softly, dropping onto the bed with the shoebox still clutched under his arm. It was time to be direct, "Are you Ladybug?"

He watched as Marinette seemed to accept that her greatest fear was coming true. It pained him to see that look on her face, to see her worries bubbling up and nearly overwhelming her. But then, in very Ladybug fashion, she calmed herself down, taking a deep breath, and all trace of hesitation or concern was completely absent as she definitively answered, "Yes."

* * *

The moment Cat Noir was out of sight, Marinette opened the trap door to her room and jumped in. "Tikki?!" she shouted into the empty room, but there was no answer. _Please be okay, please be okay,_ she repeated to herself as she climbed down, looking everywhere for her kwami. She opened drawers, her closet, boxes of crafting material, and even looked under the beds, the pillows, the blankets, and anywhere else she could imagine, but Tikki was nowhere to be found.

"Tikki," Marinette began to cry, collapsing to her knees in the middle of the floor, "Where are you?" As she considered, suddenly the obvious answer dawned on her. _Master Fu's, of course!_ she realized. That's where Plagg went when Cat Noir lost his miraculous, that's probably where Tikki went, too. She quickly got to her feet and began pulling open the door that led downstairs.

"Where are you going?" came a voice from above her. Marinette turned in surprise to see Cat Noir was back, watching her from the trap door above her bed. _Why is he here again?_ she wondered, releasing the door handle.

"Uh, no!" she lied quickly, "I was just, uh, going to make sure my parents are ok!"

"Oh, ok," Cat Noir sounded unconvinced, "because I thought you were looking for Tikki."

A chill ran down her spine. _Does he know?_ she thought with horror. If Tikki _was_ at Master Fu's, then Cat Noir might have met her, and Marinette just shouted that name at her purse! _Oh, no,_ she realized, eyes wide, _now I've_ really _messed up!_

"Uh, who?" she responded finally, but her quivering voice betrayed her.

"Marinette," Cat Noir said softly, dropping onto the bed, a shoebox clutched under one arm, "Are you Ladybug?"

 _He knows_ , she realized, suddenly feeling quite warm under the scrutiny of those piercing green eyes. _I have to lie,_ she told herself, thinking quickly for some kind of excuse, _I have to protect my identity, but what can I say?_ After a moment of silence, she realized there was no way to get around it, no way to lie out of this. It was time to own up to her mistakes.

Marinette took a deep breath to steady her nerves, calling in as much of Ladybug's confidence as she could, before looking Cat Noir square in the eye and answering, "Yes."


	18. Part 1 - Chapter 18

Marinette locked eyes with Cat Noir for a moment after making her declaration, neither one speaking a word, still holding that look of confidence. Then the moment passed, her shoulders slumped, and she looked away, dejected. As if getting akumatized wasn't bad enough, now she had allowed her identity to be revealed, too. _I must be the worst Ladybug,_ she told herself.

"You're probably disappointed by me, huh?" she said, not quite looking up at Cat Noir, "You were probably expecting someone brave, and pretty, and smart… but it's just… me." She chanced a glance up at Cat Noir's eyes, surprised to see adoration on his face.

"How could I be disappointed in my lady?" he asked, his voice filled with emotion, "You're all of those things… and more."

"But you don't even know me," Marinette replied with surprise, looking up at him now, "You only know me as Ladybug."

"I know you better than you think," Cat Noir replied, smiling at some unknown secret of his. _Is he someone I actually know?_ she wondered. The possibility had never occurred to her before. Paris was a huge city, the chances of Cat Noir being anyone she had even bumped into casually were slim to none, let alone someone she knew personally. "And I know that you're also kind, and helpful, and creative, and funny, and…"

Marinette blushed at the list of compliments. He sounded like he really did know her. _Who could he be?_ She was almost tempted to ask him, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to expose his identity. Just because hers was known, didn't mean he should reveal his, too.

"You're an amazing girl, Marinette," he concluded, jumping down from the bed and stepping closer to her, "You always were, even without being Ladybug."

Now her cheeks were growing warm. Cat Noir was standing a little too close for comfort and she took a step back. _He really does know me,_ she realized, _could he attend the same school as me?_ Looking into his eyes, she saw in them the desire to say more, the desire to break down the only barrier that still existed between them and to reveal himself. _Don't do it,_ she tried to will at him, _I shouldn't know. Please don't do it._

His intense expression softened and he stepped back again, giving her an easy smile. "Well, now that we've gotten that out in the open," Cat Noir said casually, "I think I should get you to Master Fu's. Tikki's waiting for you."

* * *

 _Marinette is Ladybug!_

This was the only thought going through Cat Noir's mind, and he kept repeating it over and over again, as though it somehow made it more real. How could he not see it before? It was so obvious now that he knew. Her constant absences from school, her lame excuses, and of course, why he _never_ saw her around when Ladybug was.

He took a good look at her now, realizing who she really was. Despite her hair that was mussed from jumping across the city and her dress that was wrinkled and dirty from sitting on the rooftop, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

After a moment of silence, she looked away in embarrassment, speaking in a low voice. "You're probably disappointed by me, huh?" she said, not meeting his eyes, "You were probably expecting some brave, and pretty, and smart… but it's just… me."

Cat Noir gasped at the thought. Disappointed? In Marinette? _How could she think such a thing?_

"How could I be disappointed in my lady?" he asked, trying to convey his excitement and love through his words, "You're all of those things… and more."

"But you don't even know me," Marinette protested, meeting his eyes again, "You only know me as Ladybug."

"I know you better than you think," Cat Noir replied, _A_ lot _better than you think._ "And I know that you're also kind, and helpful, and creative, and funny, and…"

He watched as her blush deepened, embarrassed by the praise he was showering on her. He wanted her to understand that he didn't just love Ladybug, and he didn't just love Marinette _because_ she was Ladybug, but he loved Marinette because she was her. Those feelings had developed over time, without him even realizing it, but he had been too blinded by his love for Ladybug to see. Now he could see it clearly. Marinette had always been the girl of his dreams.

"You're an amazing girl, Marinette," he concluded, leaping casually down from the bed and moving closer to her, "You always were, even without being Ladybug."

At that moment, he felt he had to show her who he was. If she knew his identity, then nothing would keep them apart anymore. He could finally be with his lady _and_ be with Marinette. But something in her eyes told him he shouldn't. Keeping their identities secret was always very important to Ladybug. She was probably upset at herself for letting it slip, but she would still expect him to keep his a secret. He was on the verge of saying "Claws in", finally showing her who he really was, but he held back, sensing that this wasn't the time.

Instead, he tried to give her a reassuring smile, taking a step back and giving her some room. "Well, now that we've gotten that out in the open," he said, trying to get back to business, "I think I should get you to Master Fu's. Tikki's waiting for you."


	19. Part 1 - Chapter 19

"Here, hold this for me," Cat Noir held out the shoe box, miraculous box still balanced on top, as Marinette climbed through the trap door.

"Is this… my akuma?" she asked, giving a disgusted look at the shoebox in her hands. Cat Noir couldn't imagine how it felt to say that, but it probably was not a good feeling.

"Yeah," he answered casually, trying to brush it off as no big deal. He reached forward to pick her up, as he had so many times before, then stopped, blushing. This was his lady; holding her wasn't something he felt he could do casually anymore. "May I?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes," Marinette nodded. He lifted her up gently in his arms, just as he had before, but this time he felt nervous. He had finally found his lady. As he leapt off into the night, he fought the urge to grip her more tightly, desperate not to let her go, or to kiss her on the cheek, longing for the warm touch of her skin. He found that he was shaking a bit and began to wonder how long he could trust himself to carry her this way. He had always loved Ladybug, but he felt much closer to her knowing who she really was, and knowing he already knew her so well.

It wasn't long before they landed on top of Master Fu's apartment building. He put her down immediately, almost too fast, worried about his self-control. She eagerly stepped down and put some space between them. _She needs some space now,_ Cat Noir nodded to himself, _I get that._ Still, all he wanted was to get closer to her.

"Let's go in," he said kindly, smiling at her, "Master Fu is waiting."

"No," Marinette shook her head, "Please, I have to do this myself." There was pain, regret, and worry in her eyes. It pained him to see, and pained him more that she didn't want to share those feelings.

"All right, m'lady," he sighed, accepting her choice, "I'll just wait for you up here."

"Cat Noir," Marinette had a pleading, almost desperate look, "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me, but I've had a long night and I need time to think. I'd like to go home alone tonight."

"Oh." Cat Noir could feel his strength leaving him and a sharp pain in his chest. He knew she wasn't rejecting him, she just needed some space right now. Still, he had been hoping that he could talk to her as her for the first time. Well, as Cat Noir, that is. Still, he had to respect his lady's wishes. Imposing on her would not have been constructive.

"All right," he agreed, "Good night, m'lady. I'll see you around!" He gave her a wink and tried to smile, then turned and jumped off into the night without looking back.

* * *

"Here, hold this for me," Cat Noir said as Marinette climbed onto her balcony. He held out the shoe box and miraculous box for her to take.

"Is this… my akuma?" she asked hesitantly. It felt like something so dirty to hold, a dark reminder of her failure that night.

"Yeah," Cat Noir reached out to pick her up, then hesitated, blushing. "May I?" he asked politely.

"Yes," Marinette nodded. She felt a shiver run down her spine as he lifted her, so delicately, and jumped off into the night.

He had held her before, both as Marinette _and_ as Ladybug, but somehow it felt different now. As Ladybug, it was always in the heat of battle, there was no time for him to be careful or gentle. As Marinette, he had always been respectful and delicate. Now, however, she could almost sense the tension and excitement coursing through him, knowing that she wasn't just a civilian anymore, but his lady. Marinette felt so exposed and vulnerable, almost like she was being taken advantage of, though she knew those thoughts were ridiculous. She held tight to the boxes she had been entrusted with, trying not to think about it too much.

Soon they alighted upon the roof of Master Fu's apartment building. This time Cat Noir put her down quickly, almost as though he couldn't trust himself to hold her any more. Marinette graciously took a couple steps away, trying to get some breathing room.

"Let's go in," Cat Noir smiled, "Master Fu is waiting."

"No," Marinette spoke softly, shaking her head, "Please, I have to do this myself." _I have to face my failure now, and the consequences,_ Marinette told herself, _I don't want him to see that._

"All right, m'lady," Cat Noir's shoulders seemed to droop a bit, "I'll just wait for you up here."

"Cat Noir," Marinette said gently, hoping she wouldn't come across as rude, "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me, but I've had a long night and I need time to think. I'd like to go home alone tonight."

"Oh," Cat Noir's smile faded and his whole figure seemed to deflate. She understood that he probably really wanted to spend time with her now, to grow closer to her, but Marinette was _not_ in the mood, not after everything that had happened that night. That, and she probably wouldn't be leaving by way of the roof…

"All right," he said, "Good night, m'lady. I'll see you around!" He gave her a last, playful wink before turning and jumping off into the night.

With a sigh, Marinette turned to the stairwell door, steeling herself for what would come next. She knew what she had to do.


	20. Part 1 - Chapter 20

_I'm going to do it,_ Marinette told herself.

Marinette knocked on Master Fu's door, a determined look in her eye. The answer came almost immediately and she opened the door, marching in with purpose.

"Marinette!" Master Fu exclaimed, standing up quickly, "I'm glad to see you are all right."

"Yes, I am now," Marinette sighed. She was genuinely touched by Master Fu's concern for her.

"MARINETTE!" came a high-pitched squeal as a red blur streaked straight into her face. Tikki spread her arms as far around Marinette's cheek as she could get them.

"TIKKI!" Marinette shouted with equal enthusiasm, hugging her back, "I'm so glad to see you!"

"I was so worried about you!" Tikki pulled back to look her own in the eye. Marinette had come to love her bursting optimism, but she had gotten to know her well enough to tell when she worried, and there was certainly concern in her eyes.

"I'm all right now, Tikki, don't worry!" she reassured her, "We can always trust Cat Noir to take care of me, after all." She gave a small smile, but a brief one, remembering the task at hand.

"Is that the akuma, Marinette?" Master Fu asked, eyeing the shoe box.

"Yes," she nodded, "But first…" She hesitated, searching for words. Master Fu held his hands behind his back and looked at her expectantly. Beside her head, Tikki, now joined by Wayzz, was watching curiously.

"Master," she said, falling to her knees. She placed the shoebox beside her and bowed her head in shame, "I've failed as Ladybug. I let myself get akumatized, I put all of Paris in danger, and I put you and the miraculous in danger. And then I… I wasn't careful enough and… I let Cat Noir discover my identity."

Tikki gasped, her eyes wide as she put her hands over her mouth. Master Fu looked solemn, but Marinette couldn't interpret his expression when she chanced a glance up at him.

"I don't deserve to be Ladybug anymore," Marinette pushed on, "I knew I wasn't up for it, and now I've proven it. I'm going to give you back my miraculous."

Silence pervaded the room. Tikki and Wayzz watched both the humans anxiously, uncertain what was going to happen. Master Fu regarded her with a grave look for a good long time before saying anything. _This is how it has to be,_ Marinette told herself, _I can't be trusted with my miraculous anymore. There needs to be a new Ladybug._

"Indeed, this is all true," Master Fu said finally, speaking in careful tones, his voice not betraying his intentions, "but the very fact that you make this offer shows how worthy you are."

"What?" Marinette looked up at him in surprise.

"Marinette," he said gently, a smile forming on his wrinkled face, "you may be a superhero, but never forget that you are still human. All people make mistakes, sometimes big ones, even a superhero. But you are brave enough to admit your mistake and to accept the consequences of your actions. That is a true act of heroism."

"But…" Marinette tried to protest, "my identity isn't safe anymore…"

"Cat Noir can be trusted to keep your identity safe," Master Fu assured her, "I am not concerned about that. I do hope you take a lesson from this and try harder to protect your identity from others, but I'm fully confident in your ability to do that."

"So…" Marinette felt hope rising in her breast, "I don't have to give up being Ladybug?"

"Of course not," Master Fu assured her, "Not so long as you cleanse this akuma."

"You're the best Ladybug I've ever served, Marinette!" Tikki informed her, tears welling up in her big eyes from the emotional rollercoaster she'd just experienced.

Marinette stood back up, wiping away her own tears as they were forming. "Thank you, Master Fu," she said, bowing her head toward him, "I won't let you down again."

"You haven't yet," he smiled back at her.

* * *

Cat Noir bounded across the rooftops, feeling more alive ever. _Marinette is Ladybug!_ he told himself again. There was no one else he would rather it be. She was everything he told her: smart, pretty, talented, kind, funny… he felt he could list her qualities forever.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. With a smile, he remembered when Ladybug had to go on a "secret mission" when he was dealing with Evillustrator. _She was there the whole time,_ he told himself, amused at having not seen it before, _as Marinette!_

As he landed back in his room, he felt a refreshing wave wash over him as the magical ladybugs were sweeping over the town. Outside, he knew that all the people still enveloped in the throes of despair would finally recover, and all the damage they had caused during their fight would be repaired.

"Claws in," he said, watching the magical ladybugs pass by outside with a smile, "She's back." He lay back in his bed, satisfied with a job well done, and thinking of the possibilities now that he knew Ladybug's identity.

"That was a wild ride," Plagg said, flying close to Adrien's smiling face, "but aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" Adrien chuckled. All he could think about was Ladybug. The chances that Marinette was Ladybug were so unlikely that he had never considered it before. There must be thousands of girls in Paris with black hair and blue eyes across the city, but it was the one that sat behind him in class all along.

 _Blue eyes,_ he thought, memories of earlier that day coming back to him finally, memories that seemed so distant he could hardly believe it had happened that very same evening. He remembered looking deep into those blue eyes, thinking only of Ladybug. _Of course I was thinking of Ladybug,_ he laughed at himself now, _they_ were _Ladybug's eyes!_

Then the other events of the night came back to him, the events that led to Marinette's akumatization. The smile began to fade from Adrien's face as he remembered now. They had gone on a date, and when the date was over…

 _Oh no,_ Adrien sat bolt upright in bed, holding his head in his hands, his face contorting to despair as it finally dawned on him what he was forgetting, lost in the mess of the night's events. "Marinette is Ladybug," he said aloud, but this time his voice was filled with regret, "I dumped Ladybug!"

END OF PART 1


	21. Part 2 - Chapter 1

Now Gabriel's miraculous really _was_ glowing all week. It wasn't because of his own troubled emotions, however, but those of someone he could never akumatize. Adrien, his son. Ever since he had akumatized his friend Marinette a couple weeks ago, Adrien's mood changed for the worse, and Gabriel was painfully aware of it.

Anytime his miraculous flashed, he would stop and feel the triggering emotions. As soon as he sensed that it was Adrien, he pulled away, not wanting to know. It felt so intrusive to his son's privacy, his inner thoughts about the only freedom still afforded him. He wanted to help, to talk to him about it, but he never knew what to say. No matter how much he cared for his son, he didn't even know how to relate to him.

From the small bits of emotion he felt through his miraculous, Gabriel _did_ know that what he felt was intense regret and loneliness. It obviously had something to do with the Marinette girl. He had since questioned Adrien's bodyguard about the events of that night and it seemed he had gone on a date with her. He reported the two seemed to get along, but the night ended with the girl running off on her own and crying. He had rejected her, as Gabriel already knew quite well, but he didn't understand why, nor did he know how to breach the topic.

Even without the miraculous, it was quite obvious that _something_ was bothering Adrien. After that night, Adrien had asked to resume his homeschooling. Gabriel was relieved at the idea, glad to keep him home where it was safe, but it spoke volumes about how troubled he was. Apparently, he didn't even want to face this girl again, preferring to avoid all his friends just to get away from her.

Without knowing how to deal with his son's problems like a father should, and desperate for a distraction, he had since been akumatizing everyone that he could. Normally he would ignore some potential victims if he felt their emotions weren't potent enough to succeed. He had had poor success with some of those in the past, like the Evillustrator. Now he was akumatizing everyone he had the chance to, glad for the distraction and hoping that the sheer quantity of villains would exhaust Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Thus far, his plan failed on both accounts. The superheroes were remaining strong, and he still couldn't forget about Adrien's pain. _Perhaps it's time to try a different tactic with Adrien,_ he sighed.

* * *

Marinette's life was very different after that night. Following her date and subsequent akumatization, she had a very hard time going back to school the next day. She wasn't worried that anybody would fault her for being akumatized. By then, almost the entire class had been and they would understand that she had no control over her actions. What was hard for her was having to see Adrien again.

The first day she was surprised – though relieved – when he didn't show up. _Too scared to show his face, I guess,_ she told herself. Marinette was confident she had gotten her emotions controlled enough that she wouldn't risk being akumatized a second time, but she wasn't sure how she would react when she next saw Adrien. Still, she was grateful for the extra time to prepare herself for the inevitable.

Chloé, in typical fashion, made a point of telling Marinette how she was crazy and out of control as a supervillain, but the day was saved thanks to Queen Bee. After that, she left her alone, until she got a text from Adrien at lunchtime. Turns out his absence was not a one-time occurrence: it seems he was returning to home-schooling. Chloé tried to blame this on Marinette, claiming she had assaulted Adrien while akumatized – a fact that Marinette was disturbed to discover that it pleased her – and that he probably wasn't allowed out of the house because of that.

Once Chloé's tirade was over, though, Marinette relaxed considerably. She had always been forgetful, but otherwise she was a hard-working student with good grades before Adrien showed up as a distraction. It seemed he was gone now, so she could concentrate on her schoolwork again and try to put him from her mind.

It was probably better for him not to return anyway. Alya had, of course, asked how the date went, and she got the whole story. Marinette was still feeling bitter at the time and just wanted to unload. Alya then spread it to the rest of their girlfriends, all of whom reacted with shock and anger. If Adrien _did_ come back to school, at least one of them – probably Alix – was liable to kill him.

Despite all of the anger and hate she was feeling, though, that wasn't what bothered Marinette the most. What bothered her most was that she knew she still cared about him, and that was _why_ the rejection had hurt so much. As much as she was mad at him now, she still felt that, deep down, she wanted somehow to reconcile with him. She hated that feeling. There were women who got involved with an abusive guy, emotionally or otherwise, and ended up feeling trapped in that relationship. She didn't want something like that to happen to her, so someone like Adrien was _not_ right for her. She had to move on, as hard as it was, and forget she ever loved Adrien.


	22. Part 2 - Chapter 2

After months and months of chasing after the girl of his dreams, Adrien finally found her. He then rejected her, breaking her heart and ruining any chance he ever had of being with her. Now he felt lost and broken, unsure how to continue, unsure if he could ever be happy again. It wasn't sadness as much as a numbness, an inability to feel happy again, or sad, or anything. He was just miserable, so much so that he was surprised that _he_ hadn't been akumatized yet. Plagg had tried to cheer him up, but to no avail.

After that, he couldn't bear the thought of being back in school. Back with Marinette. He hadn't spoken to her again since that day. He knew for certain she must hate him now and was too scared to face her. Instead, he had taken the easy way out, returning to his homeschooling.

Doing so made him realize just how badly Nathalie was doing. He had noticed she was acting a bit off lately, but now the changes were more obvious. She suffered from shortness of breath a lot, and her posture was not as disciplined as it once was, not to mention the coughing fits. She hadn't gone to see a doctor about it, as far as he knew, and he was starting to get concerned.

One morning, as he was sitting through the end of Nathalie's lecture, his father suddenly entered the room. Despite the fact that his father worked from home and never left the house, it was still rare for Adrien to see him, especially outside of his office. However, he didn't even care about that anymore. Nathalie stopped midsentence and turned to her employer.

"I think that's enough for right now," his father said, looking to Nathalie.

"Yes, sir," she gave a nod to him. Turning back to Adrien she added, "We'll start your lunch break early today and pick this up afterward." Then she left the room, coughing a bit as she went.

Adrien looked up at his father as they were left alone, wondering what he could want this time. Of late, most of their conversations involved Adrien being rebuked for trying to exercise too much freedom. His father cleared his throat, his taciturn expression as difficult to read as ever.

"Adrien," he said in his familiar, stern voice, "Is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm all right," Adrien answered, looking away. _I just ruined any chance I had with the girl I love._

"Please, Adrien," his father's voice lost its normal tone of conviction, "We should be honest with each other. You're upset about that Marinette girl, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" Adrien looked up at him, genuinely surprised. _I didn't think he knew about my date,_ Adrien felt shocked, _he usually_ never _takes an interest in what I do with my friends._

"I talked to your bodyguard," his father explained, "He told me all about it."

Adrien didn't feel comfortable talking about this, especially not with his father. He was not a very sentimental person, and this was a very sensitive topic. Unfortunately, he didn't see him getting out of this conversation. "Yeah," he admitted finally, heaving a heavy sigh.

Neither of them spoke after that. Adrien wasn't sure how much he wanted to say, if anything. He was not ready to talk about his love of Ladybug to anyone, least of all his father. Although, his father _did_ come to speak to him, and he seemed to be genuinely concerned. Pushing him away wasn't going to help anyone now.

"I really hurt her, father," Adrien sighed, breaking the silence at last, "I didn't mean to, but I did. Now I don't know what to do." He looked up at his father, waiting to see what he would say. _Does he have any advice for me, or does he not care?_ Adrien found himself wondering.

"Do you… love her?" his father asked slowly. Adrien was, admittedly, surprised he had realized that so quickly, but even more surprised to hear his father speak that way.

"Yes," he spoke softly, feeling shaky saying it aloud. _I really do love her,_ he told himself, _and I drove her away._

"Then you should speak to her," his father said with more emotion than Adrien had heard from him in a long time, "You need to show her how you feel, and ask for forgiveness. If you love her, don't let her go."

Adrien stared at his father in shock. Was he really giving advice on _love_? Adrien had never considered him much of an expert in that field, or of any emotion for that matter. Well, except maybe impatience. And anger. But certainly not _love_.

But he was right. Sitting here, wallowing in despair, was not helping anything. He had to do _something_ , to try and talk to her at least. He loved her, he really did, and he didn't want to let her go. Even in the deepest pit of despair, he still imagined that, somehow, they would end up together. If he wanted to make that a reality, he needed to do something now.

"Thank you, father," Adrien said suddenly. Overcome by gratitude, he jumped up from the table and ran over to hug him, "Thank you." He felt his father's arms wrap around him, returning the hug. For a moment, he enjoyed the warmth of his embrace, a rare sign of affection from his father.

"Is it all right if I go out for a bit?" Adrien asked him, looking up at his father with newfound appreciation.

"Yes," he answered with ever so slight a smile, "Your bodyguard will drive you wherever you need to go."

* * *

Gabriel watched Adrien run out of the room, feeling uncertain. He loved his son, he really did, and he wanted what was best for him, but he was slowly coming to the conclusion that he didn't know what that was anymore.

As a child, Gabriel had dictated pretty much everything his son did. From the topics he studied, the friend he was permitted, and food he was provided, Gabriel had control over everything, certain he knew what was best. As he grew into a teenager, though, he was seeing how Adrien was growing into his own person, in the beginning stages of becoming a man, and the realization was dawning on him that what was best for Adrien was not concurrent with what Gabriel wanted anymore.

That was why he permitted him to go to school, and why he permitted him to spend time with his friends. Especially after Emilie's… incident, he wanted to see his son happy. That meant giving him more freedom, at least within reason.

But now this. _Could he really be in love?_ he wondered, _he's so young, what could he know about love?_ If he was truly in love with this girl, then that was one thing Gabriel felt he couldn't get in the way of. He knew firsthand the importance of love and how far a man could go in pursuit of it. So long as he continued to doggedly pursue his wife, so cruelly taken from him less than a year ago, he couldn't deny Adrien the opportunity to pursue his own love.

Gabriel sighed, still uncertain if what he did was the right thing. Still, it gave him some satisfaction to have seen his smile. With a brief nod and small smile to himself, he returned to his office.


	23. Part 2 - Chapter 3

With his father's permission – and unprecedented advice – Adrien rushed to Marinette's. _She should be home for lunch by now_ , he told himself, heart pumping as he raced up the stairs. He avoided going through the bakery, taking the door straight to the stairs around the side. It was hard enough going to speak to Marinette, he didn't think he could handle speaking to her parents just then, both of whom were in the bakery.

He didn't quite know what he was going to say, but he did know that he had to talk to her. He had to get her to see, somehow, that he really loved her. He just needed to explain what had happened, tell her the truth, and she would understand. It was the only hope he had.

He reached her front door and knocked tentatively. _What am I going to say?_ he wondered _, what is she going to say? How will she feel seeing me again?_ After a minute without an answer, he tried knocking one more time. _Maybe she's not coming home today? I should've waited before coming…_

"What are _you_ doing here?" came a voice from behind him. He turned in surprise to see her standing there, arms crossed and glaring at him. Marinette. Ladybug. _My love._

* * *

Marinette headed back home for lunch. As she ascended the stairs to her apartment, she heard a knock on the door. Looking up the stairs she saw, standing at her front door, none other than Adrien. Immediately her grip tightened around the banister and she found herself unable to move. _What's_ he _doing here?_ she asked herself. She had half a mind to go back down and ignore him, but decided against it. She would not be controlled by him.

Marinette ascended the stairs quietly, standing right behind him, and crossed her arms. "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, making no attempt to keep the anger out of her voice. Adrien turned around suddenly, looking nervous. Marinette just glared at him.

"Hey, M-Marinette," he stuttered, "I just came by… to talk to you."

"I don't have anything to talk about with you," Marinette told him sternly. She was not interested in hearing whatever excuses he had imagined. She was done with him.

"Please," he looked at her desperately, his green eyes pleading with her to listen, "just let me explain…"

"Explain what?" Marinette asked, jabbing her finger toward him as she listed her accusations, "How you let me think you cared about me? How you pretended to like me? How you took me out on a date when you were in love with someone else? Is that what you want to explain?"

"No, I…" he seemed taken aback and looked away, embarrassed. She saw his cheeks grow red as he searched for words to say.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," she dismissed his stuttering, walking around him as she took her house key out of her purse and moved to unlock the door. She paused with her hand on the handle, not turning to look at him as she added, "I don't want to see you again." With that she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her.

For a moment, Marinette stood just inside the door, breathing hard as she tried to calm her shaking nerves. She felt her anger start to rise and a tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she calmed her temper and wiped the tear away.

"Why didn't you give him a chance?" Tikki asked, flying out of her hiding place. She looked worried.

"I want to," Marinette admitted with a sigh. She turned back, reaching out a hand and placing it on the door, feeling the need to reach out, but not sure what she really wanted. "I'm just… not ready yet."

* * *

Adrien stood alone in the hallway again, feeling lost. His lady was finally so close, but at the same time, she had never been further away. Her anger frightened him. He had never seen Marinette so mad before. It seemed like nothing he could say would get through to her. _How can I get her to listen?_

"I just wanted to tell you," Adrien whispered, reaching out a hand to rest on the door, tears streaming down his cheeks, "that I love you, Marinette."


	24. Part 2 - Chapter 4

That afternoon, there was an akuma attack. This one, Slither, was stronger than most and proved extremely dangerous. He was a snake charmer and was able to control and even conjure snakes at will. At one point, Ladybug lost one of her earrings, something that had only happened twice before. Just as she was about to get it back, though, that's when they showed up again: the peacock miraculous holder.

This time they heard a name from the akumatized for their new enemy: Mayura. A giant snake materialized, lashing out at them as they tried to retrieve the earring. Ladybug herself was forced to retreat, with her identity close to being revealed. Shortly after, Cat Noir showed up with the recovered earring and she was able to retain her form. At that moment, she realized it was convenient not having to hide her identity from him anymore.

After that, they were afraid they would need to find another hero to help them. Surprisingly, though, the giant snake vanished after just a few minutes. With that out of the way, they were able to finish up the fight and win the day.

Before they could get to their usual fist bump, Cat Noir's ring beeped its last minute. He turned quickly to leave.

"See you, m'lady," he said over his shoulder, flashing her a smile, "I gotta split."

"Bye," Ladybug said quietly, watching him go. Then her own miraculous started beeping and she knew she had to get going as well. Still, she lingered for a moment, watching Cat Noir disappear over the buildings into the distance.

With a sigh, she jumped off to head for home. It seemed this was happening often lately, that Cat Noir would immediately jump off after the job was done, not stopping to chat at all. She had hardly had a chance to speak with him, ever since that night, and she felt she really needed to.

After he discovered her identity, he had seemed really enthusiastic. He even insinuated that he knew her in civilian life. After that, though, he seemed to close himself off, and Ladybug was left to wonder why. The only explanation she could think of was that he really was disappointed in discovering her identity. She was, after all, just Marinette; not very impressive at all.

But she couldn't stop thinking about him. Now that Adrien was no longer a consideration for her, she started to consider how she actually felt about Cat Noir. Was it possible that there could be something more between them? She had never entertained such ideas before, but now she thought about it every time she saw him.

 _I have to find a time to talk to him,_ she told herself as she landed on her roof, transforming as she did, _I need to know if he still loves me. I need to figure out… if I love him._

* * *

That afternoon was a particularly difficult akuma battle. Not only did Slither manage to grab one of Ladybug's earrings, but then Mayura showed up again. They were in a rough spot for a bit, until the giant snake summoned by Mayura suddenly vanished. After that they were able to finish off Slither and save the day as usual.

As Cat Noir watched the magical ladybugs spreading out across the sky, a satisfied smile on his face, his ring beeped its last minute. _I have to get out of here!_ he realized.

"See you, m'lady," he said over his shoulder at Ladybug, "I gotta split." Before waiting for an answer, he jumped away, leaping over the buildings and never looking back.

Ever since that night, everything had changed between them. He never let his feelings get in the way of their teamwork and they still made an amazing duo, but Cat Noir just couldn't be as laid back or playful like he once was. It pained him to do so, but he found himself shying away from speaking to her at all anymore.

All the akuma attacks lately had only made it harder. While he was brooding about how he had unwittingly pushed Ladybug away, he found himself constantly in her presence, working together with her. He could've used these opportunities to talk to her, but it felt like cheating. He had hurt her, _really_ hurt her, so much so that she didn't want to see him again, let alone speak with him. Yet, with his mask on, she didn't recognize him and he could talk to her all he wanted. But that _wasn't_ what he wanted, not anymore.

He wanted to get closer to her as Marinette, and for him to spend time with her as Adrien. He couldn't build this façade of a relationship with her as Cat Noir when he knew she hated him as Adrien. He needed, somehow, to find a way to fix what he had done. Only then could he and his lady be together.


	25. Part 2 - Chapter 5

Despite what Nadja Chamack and so many others wanted to believe, Marinette really _had_ just thought of Cat Noir as a friend. Now things were so confusing for her. She had loved Adrien, but he betrayed her love and broke her heart. It felt too soon to move on, too soon to trust her heart to another, yet she felt that she needed it. She needed someone to love, and she wondered if Cat Noir might be it.

She leaned against her balcony railing, lost in thought. _Do I love him?_ she wondered, _or am I just rebounding?_ He had some traits that she always found irritating, like his flirting and constant puns, but he had always been there for her, always ready to take care of her. Now she found herself wanting to learn more about him, maybe even to learn his identity. She knew she couldn't, and she shouldn't want that, but the thought had crossed her mind more than once.

"What's the matter, Marinette?" Tikki asked, floating beside her.

"I'm so confused, Tikki," she explained, "I don't know how to feel about Cat Noir."

"What _do_ you feel about him?"

"I dunno," Marinette thought about it, "he's dependable, he's honest, and he really cares about me."

"So, what's the problem?" Tikki gave her an encouraging smile.

"I really like him, Tikki," Marinette turned to face the kwami, "but I don't know if I _love_ him. That and…" she hesitated, scared to say the words out loud, but knowing it was the truth, "I still feel something for Adrien." she admitted.

"Well," Tikki gave her owner a sad look, "I think you just need some more time. Don't rush into anything."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," she sighed.

* * *

Cat Noir landed in his room just in time. His transformation ended, leaving Plagg to fly across the room and land on the bed.

"I need camembert," the kwami moaned pitifully, exaggerating his hunger.

"Here you go, Plagg," Adrien said with a smirk, tossing him a piece of cheese from the secret stash he kept in his room. As he walked over to lay on the bed, he heard a noise from outside his room. It sounded like… shouting.

Adrien crept to the door and listened through it. It sounded like his father, and he sounded angry. Overcome with curiosity, he cracked the door open and peered outside.

"Nathalie," he heard his father saying, "It's not going to be worth it for long. This will only get worse." He couldn't see his father, but down the hall he saw the door to Nathalie's room was open and the voices seemed to be coming from there. _What could he be talking about?_ Adrien wondered.

He heard Nathalie's response, but it was too quiet for him to make out any words. He _did_ hear her coughing, and the coughing seemed to have gotten worse. Adrien was growing increasingly worried about her.

"Not again," he heard his father saying again, his tone softer but still firm, "I forbid you from using it again."

Adrien saw his father coming out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Adrien quickly ducked back into his room, closing the door as he did.

 _What was that all about?_


	26. Part 2 - Chapter 6

The next morning, Nathalie was feeling worse. Adrien's father told him she needed some time to recover and would not be able to teach him that day. Instead, he spent the morning studying on his own in his room, with only Plagg to keep him company.

"I'm worried about Nathalie," he told his kwami at some point, "I don't think she's gone to see a doctor, and her condition's getting worse."

"Yeah, that's pretty unfortunate," Plagg agreed apathetically, greedily snacking on cheese on the edge of the table.

"That's really insensitive, Plagg," Adrien informed him.

"Hey, if she doesn't want to take care of herself, what can we do about it?" Plagg shrugged. In a way, he was right. It's not like they could _force_ her to see a doctor.

"It's hard for me to see someone I can't help," Adrien sighed, "I'm a superhero, I should be able to help everyone."

Plagg had no more words of wisdom to share on the topic, so Adrien remained silent about it. Mostly he was looking for something to talk about other than Marinette. That had been about the only thing he had spoken about for the last two weeks, and getting her out of his head was not easy. He knew he had to try to talk to her again, but after his last failure, he wasn't sure what he could do differently this time. The only option left, it seemed, was to talk to her as Cat Noir. That was the only way she would give him a chance. He hated the idea; it felt subversive, using his alternate identity like that, but he had no other choice.

"I have to talk to her," Adrien declared suddenly, throwing his pencil to the table.

"What are you talking about?" Plagg looked up at him. He had finished his cheese and was laying back on the desk.

"Marinette," Adrien said as though it were obvious, "I can't stop thinking about her. I have to talk to her, Plagg."

"Didn't she say she doesn't want to see you anymore?" Plagg reminded him.

"Yeah," he sighed, "but I can't stand this anymore, I have to try."

"Well, let me how it goes, then," Plagg answered, rolling over into a more comfortable position.

"Oh no, I need you to get out of the house," Adrien said with a smirk, "Plagg, claws out!"

"But I was just getting comfortable!" Plagg shouted in protest, but too late. He was sucked into the miraculous Adrien wore on his finger. With the ring charged, Adrien felt the magic sweep over him, empowering him. He was grateful, as always, that his father never insisted on installing security cameras in his room.

Shortly after that he was standing on the rooftop of the school, watching the door to his old classroom. It wasn't long before the bell rang and students began to pour out. He watched intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of his lady.

 _There she is,_ he felt joy rising in him on seeing her face, _she's so beautiful._ He moved a bit to get a better look at her when she suddenly looked up. Cat Noir quickly moved to hide himself from view, then leapt away, off the roof. _I hope she didn't see me. I don't want her to think I'm stalking her or anything._ Now he just had to figure out what he was going to say to her, and how.

* * *

Marinette had decided. She _did_ want to give Cat Noir a chance. She had to find a time to speak to him, privately. How was she going to do that, though? He knew who she was and could drop by whenever he wanted, but she had no guaranteed method of getting in touch with him. Her best bet was to transform and leave him a message, but that wouldn't do any good until he transformed.

The bell rang for lunch break. Marinette hurried to get her bag together to leave. _If I left him a message, he might not see it until the next akuma attack,_ she realized, _and then it might just be a distraction for him. I'll have to wait until I can see him again._

"Marinette," came a voice from beside her as she shouldered her bag.

"Huh?" Marinette shook herself out of her thoughts to see Alya looking at her with concern.

"You've been so distracted, girl," she told her, as if she didn't know, "We need to get you to relax. How about we hang out tonight?"

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette smiled, "that would be great." _If there's no supervillain again._ Hardly a day had gone by in the last two weeks without at least one akuma. The fact that they had gotten through the morning without incident was already a surprise.

Marinette waved goodbye to her friend and she headed out of class. As she walked to the stairs, she saw movement in the corner of her eye. Her superhero instincts kicked in as she looked toward it, her muscles tensing at the anticipated danger. _There was someone on the roof,_ she realized, looking up as she tried to find the source.

 _There!_ she spotted someone up there, jumping away, _is that… Cat Noir?!_ She gaped in disbelief. She caught just a brief glimpse of black leather trailed by a belt. Had he been spying on her? She wasn't sure whether she should be flattered or creeped out. Still, seeing him there told her he still cared, and that meant she still had a chance with him.

Suddenly forgetting everything else, Marinette ran home, tripping only once on the way, as she tried to get to her roof before Cat Noir was too far gone.


	27. Part 2 - Chapter 7

"Marinette, is everything all right?" her mom asked with confusion as Marinette rushed inside and up the stairs.

"Yeahmomeverythingisfine!" she said quickly, pausing briefly only as she tripped on her way up. Soon she was back in her room with the door shut behind her.

"What's the rush, Marinette?" Tikki asked, flying out of her purse.

"I saw Cat Noir watching me from the roof," she explained, "So he must still be in love with me, right?"

"I think that's a little weird," Tikki admitted with a shrug.

"Well, yeah, but," Marinette sighed, "I don't know, I just thought it was a good sign."

"What are you going to do now?" the kwami wondered aloud.

"I'm going to transform and hope he's still nearby," Marinette looked determined, "I _have_ to talk to him."

"All right," Tikki smiled, "Whatever you think is best!"

Marinette began to climb onto her roof, then stopped abruptly. He was already there. Cat Noir was sitting on the edge of her banister, looking down at the street. Marinette couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Cat Noir landed on a rooftop a couple buildings away. He still felt like it was cheating, talking to her as Cat Noir when he _knew_ he was the guy she hated, but it seemed it was the only chance he would have to talk to her at all. After his last attempt, he didn't expect he would have any success as Adrien.

Making up his mind, he hopped over the buildings towards the bakery, landing skillfully on the edge of the banister. He scanned the short walk between Marinette's and the school, hoping for some brief glimpse of her.

As he sat there, he tried to think of what he was going to say. He needed some way of getting her to give him a second chance as Adrien, but how to do it without being obvious? Or making her suspicious? _Or getting her mad at me again,_ he shuddered at the thought of that angry glare, a sight he had never seen before yesterday but would haunt him forever. As he sat there thinking, unable to come up with answers, he heard a voice from behind him.

"What are you doing here, kitty?" the voice said, sounding both pleased and nervous.

He turned around suddenly, torn from his thoughts, and saw Marinette there, climbing onto the roof. He was surprised she was able to sneak up on him with his enhanced hearing, but then couldn't help but smile.

"I was just hoping to see you," he told her shyly.

"I was… actually going to come look for you, too," she answered slowly as she sat down, "I saw you watching me from the school roof."

"Oh, that," Cat Noir looked away, feeling embarrassed, "I just… I wasn't there long." _Please don't think I'm creepy,_ he pleaded silently.

"Why…" Marinette started, then stopped, looking uncertain. "Cat Noir," she tried again, speaking softly, "Do you still… l-love me?"

Cat Noir's eyes went wide. _How could she think I don't love her?_ Watching her expression, he saw she was nervous, like she was really worried about how he would answer. _I want her to be in love with Adrien again,_ he reminded himself, _but I can't break her heart, not again._ Finally, his face broke out into a warming smile as he answered, "Of course, m'lady."


	28. Part 2 - Chapter 8

Marinette's heart beat even faster, hearing him say that. Did she really care about him that much that his declaration meant so much to her? _It's not like I didn't already know,_ Marinette reminded herself, _I shouldn't rush into this. I don't want to get hurt again._ Looking him in the eye, she was forced to remember he wasn't the first green-eyed boy she had fallen in love with. Actually, she wasn't sure if his eyes actually _were_ green. Since his mask made even the whites of his eyes green, she always wondered if it didn't change his eye color completely.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" Marinette asked him hesitantly, worried to hear the answer. _It's because he loves Ladybug, not Marinette,_ she told herself, _what else could it be?_ He looked so sincere when he said he loved her that she couldn't doubt it was true. Besides, he had never lied to her before, and she trusted that he never would.

"I haven't…" he started to say, then looked away, embarrassed, "Yes I have," he admitted, proving Marinette right, "I was just afraid… When I found out who you are, I was so excited. I thought… maybe I was _too_ excited. I didn't want to go too fast and scare you away." He glanced back at her, a shy smile on his face.

"Oh," Marinette replied. He wasn't lying to her, she was certain of that, but there was definitely _something_ he was hiding. _Maybe he wants to get to know me better as Marinette,_ she thought, trying to rationalize, _he must not actually know me after all, and he wants to get to know me for me, not just for Ladybug!_ The thought excited her somehow, that he wanted to know all of her, not just the mask she put on.

"I was thinking," she said slowly, looking at him expectantly, "that maybe we could plan another rooftop dinner." She gave him a smile, trying to show her sincerity, "I promise to show up this time."

* * *

"What?" Cat Noir blinked, shocked. _No! This isn't how it's supposed to go,_ he chided himself, now _she's falling for Cat Noir? But I need her to forgive me as Adrien!_ "No! Uh, I mean…" he recovered quickly, trying to explain himself, "Well, didn't you say… there was a boy you're… in love with?" He couldn't look her in the eyes as he said this, worried to see her reaction.

"Oh, him," Cat Noir heard the way Marinette said it, the tone of disgust and… was that regret? "He's nothing to me anymore, you can just forget about it."

"What happened?" Cat Noir asked, hoping that he could find the right thing to say if they just kept on the topic.

"He…" Marinette's voice had a harsh tone to it at first, then she stopped and took a deep breath before continuing, "I gave him my heart, and he crushed it." she put it simply. Cat Noir could hear the disappointment in her voice, though, and he could've sworn he saw a tear forming as she said it. _So she hasn't fully moved on yet,_ he realized, _there's still a chance I can fix this!_

"But you still have feelings for him," Cat Noir pointed out, almost too eagerly, giving her a sideways glance, "I can see it in your eyes."

"Why do you care about this so much?" Marinette sounded impatient and frustrated. Cat Noir saw a glimmer of that anger he had seen yesterday. _I have to be more careful,_ he realized, _I'm walking a_ very _dangerous path._

"M'lady," Cat Noir looked at her, choosing his words very carefully, "I just want you to be happy, even if your happiness is with someone else. If you still have feelings for him, then you need to resolve those feelings. If you really don't care for him anymore, I'll be waiting, but if you do…" He trailed off, looking away. _Then we can finally be together,_ he finished to himself.

"I…" Marinette sounded uncertain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her conflicted expression, so uncertain, so confused. He knew how she felt, because he felt the same way himself.

"How can I talk to him again?" Marinette's voice was starting to choke as tears formed in her eyes. "He broke my heart; I can hardly stand to look at him now."

The tears were too much for him. Cat Noir couldn't bear to see her upset like this. With his superhuman speed and grace, he jumped to her side faster than the eye could see. Compassion and love were etched into his expression as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She could feel her body relaxing against him, taking comfort from the contact. _She really_ is _falling for Cat Noir now,_ he sighed inwardly. He couldn't express how happy he was that this had happened, after so long chasing after her to finally have his feelings reciprocated. But if they ever wanted a chance to be together, she had to fall in love with Adrien again.

"Give him a chance to apologize," Cat Noir said quietly, hoping his words would have the desired effect, "see if he's sorry. If not, then leave him behind and never look back. Just remember to trust what your heart tells you."

"Thank you," Marinette whispered as she hugged him back, her tears rolling down his chest, "Thank you."


	29. Part 2 - Chapter 9

Marinette wasn't sure how long they remained in that embrace, but before she knew it, it was over. Cat Noir backed away, blushing, and jumped off without another word. She watched him go, her cheeks still moist from tears. Tikki popped over, watching her owner with concern.

That conversation did _not_ go how she imagined. She had expected Cat Noir to be excited that she was finally ready to be with him, if he really did still love her. Instead he seemed shocked and worried, as though it was the last thing he wanted. Now, instead of having sorted out her feelings, she was only more lost.

"I'm so confused, Tikki," she said aloud, her kwami hovering silently as she regarded her owner, "I thought Cat Noir would be happy, but instead he's trying to get me to go back to Adrien? Why is this happening?"

"He just wants to make sure you're happy," Tikki reassured her, "You need to figure out how you're feeling before you can know what to do next."

"I thought I would figure that out by talking to Cat Noir," she sighed, "now I don't know what to do."

"You should take Cat Noir's advice," Tikki suggested, "Try talking to Adrien again, and give him a chance to explain."

"But how's that going to happen?" she looked at Tikki desperately, "He's not coming to school anymore, and I told him I don't want to see him again. It's not like I can just go visit him after that."

"You're right, but don't worry," Tikki sounded confident, "If you're meant to be together, then you'll find a way. Remember, love conquers all!"

Despite herself, Marinette smiled. Tikki's optimism could be quite contagious at times. "All right," she said with a chuckle, "We'll just wait and see what happens."

She descended into her room, heading straight for the stairs, but hesitated a moment. Looking around, her room looked very different than it had a couple weeks ago. Where once her walls were littered with pictures of Adrien, now they were bare or had sketches of her designs in their place.

After the rejection, Marinette had collected every photo of Adrien she had and tossed them. She had considered burning them, but that seemed too compulsive for her, so she settled with just throwing them in the trash. All the photos on the walls, the picture frame on her desk, and from under her bed had been gathered up and summarily removed. Not a single photo remained.

However, there still existed one memory of Adrien in the room. She moved over to the sink in her room, under which were a number of drawers where she kept her jewelry. Marinette wanted to get rid of it, to remove every last trace of Adrien from her room, but somehow this one, final item she couldn't bring herself to destroy.

She opened the drawer, pulling out a small, plain box, and opened it with shaking hands. There was the charm bracelet, handcrafted by Adrien for her birthday. She picked it up and regarded it closely, trying to recapture what she felt when she first received it, trying to find that love again.

"If we're meant to be together," Marinette repeated quietly to herself, "then we'll find a way."

* * *

Nathalie never got better. She was having trouble standing now at all, and when she did, she couldn't stay on her feet for long. Her coughing fits were also getting worse, and she always seemed to be a little shaky. She insisted she would be all right and it wasn't getting any worse, but still Adrien couldn't help but be concerned for her.

For the next couple days, he found himself once again spending the morning studying on his own. As he did, he realized an opportunity was presenting itself. He hated to think he was taking advantage of Nathalie's condition, but it happened to work out for him in this case. That afternoon, he managed to get a couple minutes of his father's time.

"Father," he said hesitantly, "I know I asked to return to homeschooling, but now that Nathalie's sick, I'm not learning much."

"Yes," his father's eyes were downcast, looking guilty almost. The expression was an odd one to see on him. "What of it?"

"Well, I was thinking," Adrien said nervously, "maybe it would be better if I went back to school."

His father eyed him suspiciously, a cold, hard expression on his face. At first, Adrien was certain he would say no. "What about the girl?" he asked, surprising him, "Did you work things out with her?"

"Marinette?" Adrien answered in surprise. He had forgotten that he spoke to his father about it, even more so that his father remembered. "Not yet, but… I'm trying."

"All right," his father gave a rare smile, "You can return to school after the weekend."

"Thank you, father!" Adrien wrapped his arms around his father. _Now I'll have an opportunity to talk to Marinette, and hope that she follows my advice._


	30. Part 2 - Chapter 10

Over the next couple days, there were, fortunately, no akuma attacks. Whatever had gotten into Hawk Moth's head sending all those akumas, he must've calmed down a bit. It was better that way. It gave Marinette less time to be distracted by Cat Noir's presence, and more time to think about his words.

She found herself constantly mulling over their conversation and couldn't help but feel frustrated by it. He was trying, somehow, to mend her relationship with someone he probably hardly knew instead of accepting her love, even though that's what he wanted all along. At the same time, she felt that he was right. She _did_ need to resolve her issues with Adrien before she could really move on, so she could be sure she was motivated by love and not by sorrow and desperation.

Anytime she tried to imagine a conversation with Adrien, though, her attitude soured again. She tried again and again to conjure up a justification for his actions, but was just drawing a blank. No reason she could think of satisfied her, and some only made her angrier. That morning, as she mulled over this inevitable encounter, wondering if or when it would even happen, she got her answer.

First day of school next week, a student came in that didn't look familiar at first. Despite the warm weather, he wore a grey hoodie with the hood up, covering most of his face. He looked like he was trying to be inconspicuous, despite the conspicuous nature of his mode of dress, as he moved to take the seat in front of her. Even before he sat, though, she had seen a few stray, blond hairs poking out and the hint of green eyes. _Adrien._

Her first thought on seeing him back at school was anger. As much as she wanted to give him a chance, putting behind her the way he made her feel that night was not easy. Seeing him now stirred up all those negative feelings anew, despite how much she had prepared herself to accept an apology. She wished for him to hurt like she hurt, even though she knew it was wrong. _But if he's back in school,_ she reasoned, _there's a chance I can talk to him, and I can finally move on._

* * *

Adrien took a deep breath before reentering his classroom. Nathalie was not doing any better, so he was back at school this week. It was the only opportunity he would have to talk to Marinette, but he was worried about how she would react to seeing him again. Sitting right in front of her with how she was feeling was probably distracting and he had no desire to cause her any more problems than he already had. So, in order to try and reduce the impact of his presence, he was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up.

It was a warm day and he was sweating buckets as he walked in, but he persisted in keeping the hood up and his head down. Marinette was already there, watching him enter, but he avoided making any eye contact with her. He did see a brief flash of recognition, and a spark of anger, but he quickly turned away. As much as he wanted to look at her, he knew it wasn't time yet. He had to wait, as hard as it was.

Marinette wasn't the only one watching him, he realized. Mylène and Alix were already there and both seemed to have noticed him, as well as Rose and Juleka at the back. All four of them were staring daggers at them. Their glares were so intense he was almost worried they would actually attack him. _Marinette must've told them,_ he realized, suddenly feeling the heat of their anger as sweat rolled down his forehead, _this will be harder than I realized…_

Still, it was his only opportunity. Whatever it took, he _would_ repair his relationship with Marinette. They were meant to be together, he could feel it, now he just had to make it happen. _Then we can finally move forward together._


	31. Part 2 - Chapter 11

When Chloé got to class, she was enthused by the presence of her Adrikins. The hood slipped back a bit as she hugged him, revealing more of his blond hair, but he quickly pulled it back after she left him alone. He had yet to attempt to speak or even look at Marinette. _What's he even doing here again?_ she wondered.

She knew she wasn't the only one that was thinking that, though. A quick glance around her told her that all her girlfriends had noticed him come in and were giving him glares that looked like they could kill. Rose and Mylène glanced sympathetically at Marinette as well, as though to give encouragement.

When Alya and Nino finally walked in a minute later, both were equally surprised, but everything else about their reactions were opposite. Alya looked cross, marching past the front desk without a word and taking her seat next to Marinette. "Are you all right?" she asked her friend softly, putting a hand on her shoulder as she sat down.

"Yeah," she nodded, giving a small smile, "I'm fine."

Nino, on the other hand, walked up to Adrien with an enthusiastic shout of "Bro!", clasping his hand emphatically. He sat down and the two talked in hushed tones.

Nino knew what had happened as well as the girls; Alya had told him about it, thoroughly denouncing his friend. Nino wouldn't have it, though, insisting that Adrien had a good reason, refusing to accept he would be that cruel. As much as Marinette hated his loyalty at first, she had to admit that it was impressive how much he valued his friendship. He was truly a good friend.

What had really bothered her, though, was the she knew he was right. Marinette had first met Adrien less than a year ago, and the two had only become close in the last few months, yet she felt she knew him really well, and one thing she knew was that he was _not_ cruel. She could never understand why he did what he did, but she was so blinded by her despair and anger that she also hadn't given it much thought. Thanks to Cat Noir's suggestion, though, she was trying to push past the emotional tangle she was lost in and apply her formidable analytical abilities to try and figure out what had happened.

Adrien was not a cruel person, not from everything she knew about him. He also seemed to genuinely enjoy the time spent with her on their date, and the look in his eyes as he made the declaration that broke her heart was clearly one of regret. It seemed more like he made a bad choice and was trying to fix it than that he set up the whole situation just to tear her down. _I just need to hear what he has to say,_ she sighed, _but first I have to get through class knowing he's here._

All day, Adrien was there, but never once did he try to talk to Marinette. He persistently avoided eye contact and wouldn't even acknowledge her there. Marinette wasn't sure if she should be grateful or frustrated. She wasn't ready to talk to him, and certainly she didn't want to do it around others, but she still found herself hoping he would approach her.

Finally, the last bell rang to signal the end of the day. Marinette and Alya were quick to pack up their bags and head out. As much as Marinette wanted to give Adrien a chance, she still felt the need to avoid him. It was a complicated feeling. Before they could make out of school, though, she heard a voice calling her from behind.

"Hey, M-Marinette," Adrien called out, sounding nervous. Marinette and Alya turned as one to see Adrien and Nino standing there. Adrien looked incredibly awkward with his hood finally pulled down and his hair a sweaty mess.

"Hey, Nino," Alya said, pointedly ignoring Adrien's presence.

"Marinette," Adrien said, looking shyly at her, "Can we talk? Please?" His expression was so pathetic and pleading that Marinette almost pitied him. Almost.

"Didn't you talk enough?" Alya put in, hands on her hips, now glaring at Adrien. Around them, some of their other classmates had noticed the exchange, various expressions on their faces. Marinette ignored them and focused on Adrien, trying to find her voice.

"It's all right, Alya," she said gently, placing a hand on her friend's arm as though to hold her back, "I'll… I think I can give him one more chance."

Alya turned and gave her friend a scrutinizing stare. "Are you sure?" she whispered in her ear, leaning in close, "I can scare him off if you need me to."

"Yeah," Marinette smiled at the offer, "I'll be fine."

"All right," Alya turned back to Adrien and jabbed a finger at him, "but I have my eye on you, Agreste." After giving him a meaningful glare, she grabbed Nino and pulled him away, whispering angrily in his ear.


	32. Part 2 - Chapter 12

The two of them stood together, facing each other but not quite looking at one other. Marinette waited for Adrien to say something, anything, to break the silence. Instead he just looked around nervously, scratching at his neck for a good minute.

"I thought you wanted to talk," she said finally, probably coming across a little more rudely than she intended.

"Yeah, of course," he said, snapping back to reality, "Let's find somewhere to talk."

"Not the park," Marinette said quickly. She had hardly been there at all since that night, and she definitely was _not_ ready to go there with him.

"Right," Adrien looked scared out of his wits, "How about the Seine?"

Marinette nodded her consent and the two headed out, crossing the street and descending the stairs to the riverbank. There they sat down on a bench as the awkward silence returned.

"I'm not going to just sit here all day," Marinette said eventually. _I might've once, but not anymore._

"I know," Adrien sighed, "I… just don't know… how to start."

"Start with why you went on a date with me," Marinette said, "when you were in love with someone else." She meant for it to sound accusatory, but she found her voice started quivering.

"Okay," Adrien sounded nervous, "There was this girl that I… I had a crush on. But I was starting to realize I didn't have a chance with her and… it was time to move on."

Adrien sounded honest enough, but there was definitely something he was hiding. Marinette bit back the desire to ask who it was, trying to convince herself it didn't matter.

"That was when you asked me out," Adrien went on, "and I realized that I l… Uh, like you, really like you, so I said yes."

Marinette felt her heart skip a beat as Adrien stuttered. _Was he about to say he… he loves me?_

"But then I kept thinking about La… Uh, the other girl on our date, so I thought I hadn't gotten over her yet. It felt dishonest to date you if I was still hung up on this other girl, and that's why…" he trailed off, his eyes downcast, regret evident in every line of his face.

He sounded honest enough. This explanation certainly made a lot more sense than Adrien secretly being cruel and heartless, and it fit better than any of the explanations Marinette had thought up. She realized then that Cat Noir was right when he said she shouldn't date him when she still had feelings for someone else. Apparently, that's what Adrien tried to do, and it didn't end well.

"I understand if you hate me now," Adrien went on, giving her a sideways glance, "You have every right to. Just know that I'm sorry, and that… I wish… that things weren't over between us." There was a brief pause between them as Adrien waited for a response and Marinette tried to digest this new information.

"I don't hate you," Marinette said softly after some consideration, "Not anymore at least. And I think I can forgive you, but…" She looked over and saw that he was watching her reaction, a spark of hope growing in his eyes.

"But I can't forget so easily!" she said, sounding frustrated. She stood up suddenly, taking a couple steps away, needing some space. "You hurt me, Adrien," she turned back to face him, "You _really_ hurt me. I understand what happened now, but that's not something I can put behind me just like that."

The glimmer of hope was gone, replaced by despondency. She hated it. _He really does care about me,_ she was realizing, _but I still can't look at him without remembering my heartache! How can I ever consider dating him again?_

"I'm sorry, Adrien," she said, still looking at him, trying to feel again the electric feeling of excitement that she used to get from that emerald-green stare, "I'm not ready yet."

Adrien looked down again, sighing, looking as broken and lost as Marinette felt. _I wish I could get over this,_ Marinette found herself feeling angry at herself, even if it was unjustified, _I still_ do _have feelings for him, I can't lie to myself about it. And he loves me, too! But I just can't…_

"Do you think," Adrien asked slowly, "That you ever will be?"

"I don't know," Marinette shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, "I…" She wasn't sure what she was going to say, but she felt the need to be alone at that moment. Without another word, she ran up the stairs, leaving Adrien behind.


	33. Part 2 - Chapter 13

Marinette just ran, unsure where she was going or what she wanted. Finally she stopped a couple blocks away and sat on a bench she came across, burying her face in her hands. Tikki poked her head out of her purse, her expression concerned.

"I don't know what to do, Tikki!" Marinette was crying now, "Adrien loves me! Or at least, I'm pretty sure he does… But he hurt me, I don't know how I can trust him again…"

Her kwami watched her with sad eyes, searching for comforting words, but holding her peace for the moment as Marinette worked through her feelings.

"Then there's Cat Noir," she went on, "He's always been there for me, and I _know_ he loves me, but now I feel like he's trying to push me away! I thought being Ladybug was supposed to make me lucky…"

"Oh," Tikki reached her tiny arm out of the purse, patting her reassuringly on the hip, which was all she could reach, "You just need more time to think about it. I think you're moving too fast right now. If you slow down, I'm sure everything will become clear!"

"Thanks," Marinette peeked between her fingers at the kwami, "I wish I had your optimism."

Tikki giggled and gave Marinette a big smile. Marinette couldn't help but be cheered – at least a bit – by the kwami's confidence.

"You're right," Marinette said, wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath, "I just need time to digest everything. Right now… I feel like it's too much."

"There you go!" Tikki cheered, "Now let's get some dinner, I'm hungry!"

Laughing, Marinette picked herself up and headed back home.

* * *

Adrien didn't move from the bench, not for a while. He had already missed two phone calls, probably from the gorilla, but he didn't care.

"Plagg," Adrien said to the kwami hiding in his jacket pocket, "Did I say the right thing?"

The kwami flew out and materialized in front of him, his green eyes a bright beacon as he considered his owner.

"Beats me," Plagg shrugged, "Humans are weird creatures."

"Thanks," Adrien sighed. _Why did I even bother to ask him?_

Plagg's expression seemed to soften as he regarded Adrien, who's sadness was one of the few things that could get the little kwami to take things even a little bit seriously. "Hey, at least now you know she still loves you, right?" Plagg said helpfully.

"Yeah," Adrien nodded, "And that means, there's still a chance." Adrien cheered up a bit now. Yes, he had hurt Marinette, and of course it was hard for her to recover from that, but she _did_ still care about him. _She still loves me,_ Adrien was realizing, _and I love her, so we're in love!_ He felt excited at the thought, not daring to think it before, _we'll overcome any other obstacles in the way. Somehow, we_ will _get through this, and finally be together!_

"Come on, Plagg," Adrien opened the flap of his jacket, feeling renewed confidence for the first time in weeks. He ran up the stairs to find the gorilla while grinning and whispering to himself, "We're in love."


	34. Part 2 - Chapter 14

Adrien continued coming to class, though he stopped wearing the hoodie. Unfortunately for Marinette, that beautiful head of golden-blonde hair was more distracting than ever, but she certainly couldn't blame Adrien for not wanting to wear it. The days of her wanting to see him uncomfortable were over.

The two of them still didn't talk openly for the next couple days, but at least Marinette had convinced Alya and some of her girlfriends to stop staring daggers at Adrien. She had explained to them that she wasn't angry anymore and accepted his apology. Only Alix and Rose were still angry at him, the former because she still found his callous behavior inexcusable, and the latter because of how he ruined a romantic moment.

Then came the next akuma. Just as the bell had rung for the end of the period, the window by the teacher's desk suddenly _shattered_. Marinette ducked behind her desk as a _car_ smashed against the outside of the wall before crashing down to the ground below. There was a general panic and a couple screams in the room as everyone ducked. Well, except for Alya; she was quickly by the shattered window with her phone, trying to get a shot of the villain that must've thrown the car. Nino went to her side, trying to convince her to stay safe.

"Everyone downstairs!" Ms. Bustier called out, "Please remain calm!"

All the students began filing out of the room as all over the school other classrooms were doing the same. With the frequency of akuma attacks, they started having "akuma drills" at school where they would all go to the locker room and lock the door. That was safer than being out in the streets. Marinette made sure to sometimes "get lost" during those drills so that it would be less suspicious if they ever had to do it for real.

So it was that as everyone started crowding in the hallways, trying to get down the staircases quickly but without shoving, Marinette was able to easily slip away and make her way to the library. It was even easier than during a drill because tensions were higher and some students were starting to panic, which created the perfect distraction for Marinette to get away.

Once in the library, she ducked behind a bookshelf, looking around just in case, then pulled open her purse.

"Looks like we have a job to do," Marinette told Tikki as she flew out, starting to feel the excitement she always felt before transforming, "Tikki, spots on!"

The kwami was sucked into her earring as magical energy flowed through her. She felt the warmth as her very body vibrated with power. Strength, speed, senses – everything about her was just _better_. She was _powerful_. This was a feeling she could never tire of. No longer was she the clumsy Marinette, hardly able to walk down the street without dropping her bag or smacking her face against something, now she was Ladybug, the superheroine of Paris.

"Time to save the day," she said to herself with a smirk.

* * *

After that day by the banks of the Seine, things seem to be looking up for Adrien. He knew they still had a long road to go before he could fully repair his relationship with Marinette, but it was finally looking possible, after weeks of hopelessness.

He was in love with Marinette. All the love he had felt toward Ladybug for so many long months mixed with the growing feelings he had harbored for so long toward Marinette but hadn't been aware of, and now he felt he was bursting with it. Just two days ago, those feelings were bogged down with crushing despair for fear he would never repair the damage he had caused. Now, after speaking to Marinette again, finally, he felt there was hope, and that hope quickly swelled.

Class got better, too. Not all of the girls were giving him death stares anymore, only a couple, and he hardly noticed them. All that mattered to him was that Marinette wasn't mad at him anymore. He understood she still needed time – he couldn't blame her for that – so he didn't try to engage her in conversation, content to wait until she was ready. But knowing that the day would come, whenever it did, was enough to put a skip in his step.

Two days later, Adrien was sitting in class when the bell rung for the end of the period, when suddenly the window by the teacher's desk _shattered_. He turned to look as he ducked behind his desk, seeing a car – that looked like it had just been tossed against the wall – fall to the ground. Alya was quick to _not_ hide, instead running to the window with her phone ready to record whatever villain was out there. Nino, a little more sensibly, tried to convince her to get to safety.

"Everyone downstairs!" Ms. Bustier called out, "Please remain calm!"

As his fellow students crowded around him, Adrien's eyes quickly sought out Marinette in the growing throng of people. He was impressed when he found her, already some distance from her class, expertly weaving between students. She was pushing gently, fake tripping, fake stumbling, while ultimately making her way toward the library. With a smirk, Adrien finally realized why she was always "getting lost" during the akuma drills.

Adrien moved quickly to try and follow her, not quite as practiced but still making it through easily thanks to the commotion. He had watched Marinette slip into the library unnoticed and arrived shortly after her. He looked around quickly to make sure he hadn't been noticed before following her in.

The moment he entered, he heard her voice shouting, "Tikki, spots on!" He felt a thrill at the possibility of seeing his lady transform but knew this wasn't the time. There was a dim flash behind the bookcase to his right, so he quickly ducked behind the bookcase to the left. He listened as Ladybug ran out the door before lifting the flap of his jacket for Plagg.

"You better hurry or we'll be late for the party," Plagg taunted him.

"Wouldn't want that to happen," Adrien smirked, "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Note: It took until the 34th chapter for Ladybug's first transformation...


	35. Part 2 - Chapter 15

Ladybug leapt with superhuman strength and dexterity, landing deftly on the roof of the school over the entrance. She looked down at the streets, seeing a rather burly man wearing an odd collage of neon green and black, with what appeared to be protective biking gear, morphed hideously by the akuma he now possessed. Just as she showed up, he had thrown another car, this one hurtling straight for her bakery, and this one had people still in it.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ladybug's yoyo shot out, moving faster than the eye could see, guided by the superheroine's will. It quickly wrapped itself multiple times between lamp posts and street lights, creating a net for the car to land in gently. She then eased it to the ground, allowing the couple inside to run out and get to safety.

"HEY!" a voice shouted at her from below. She turned to see the strange looking biker man pointing an accusatory finger at her, a chain held in his left hand. "I was trying to smash that!"

He swung his chain around once before seeming to throw it at Ladybug. To her surprise, instead of flying out of his hand, the chain began to grow in length rapidly, seemingly unending like her yoyo. Knowing better than to stand still and let it hit her she was about to jump, but it never even came close. As the chain rapidly approached her, a long, metal staff swept down at it, smashing it in the center and leaving it to clatter to the ground.

"Sorry, buddy," Cat Noir said as he appeared nearby on the rooftop, "but she's already chained to someone." He turned to Ladybug to give her a wink.

Ladybug couldn't help but giggle. She felt their relationship had been strained recently, especially after their conversation on her balcony, but the last couple days he seemed to be back to his old self. If anything, he was flirting even _more_. She was starting to get mixed signals from him, but pushed it aside for now. She never let those feelings distract her during a fight.

Out in the street, the biker man was retracting his chain, turning it back to its original, short length, as he glared at the superheroes. He was baring his teeth at them, looking almost like a feral animal.

"I HATE CATS!" he shouted as the chain whipped out again. It wrapped itself around another nearby car – this one, fortunately, had already been abandoned – and hurled it at the heroes. Both jumped out of the way expertly, but Ladybug made sure to give a quick scan of the school courtyard behind her as she did. _Good, Alya's not there,_ she sighed with relief, leaving the car to smash inside school grounds. She was the only one Ladybug worried might _not_ be staying safe in this kind of situation.

"Come on, Cat Noir!" she shouted, jumping down to street level, her partner following suit. "Thanks to you, we know the akuma isn't in his chain." The two of them took up battle stances as they squared off against their opponent, Cat Noir's baton in quarterstaff position while Ladybug's yoyo spun rapidly in her hand. "It's probably in his helmet then," she decided. The kneepads and elbow guards were also options, but the helmet seemed more likely.

"All right then," Cat Noir sounded confident, "One helmet, coming right up."

* * *

Cat Noir led the charge, closing the distance between them and their enemy. Binder tried grabbing them with his chain again, but they were both too fast for his clumsy attacks. _This guy's too slow for me,_ he told himself smugly.

"Don't let the chain touch you!" Ladybug warned him, "It'll wrap you up!"

"Got it," Cat Noir nodded, taking a quick glance around to see chains wrapped around random things that had been struck. _I can't block with my staff then,_ he told himself, _or he could trap it and pull it away._ He moved into melee range to strike, jumping and weaving around his attacks while battering at him with his own.

Ladybug jumped into the fray as well, her yoyo flying, trying to pin one of his arms. If they could just get that chain away from him, it would all be over. Unfortunately, he was faster than he realized, dodging every attack thrown at him. He was slowly backing away from their onslaught, but he was not going to give up so easily.

Giving up on the direct fight, the villain jumped back, grabbing another car with his chain as he did. This time when he tossed it, he also tore it in half, each piece heading for one of them. It was easy enough to dodge, but the flow of battle had changed. He was now turning down a side street, forcing them to follow, while car after car came flying at them. He even tossed a few motorcycles.

"Any ideas, m'lady?" he asked Ladybug, seeing that she was looking around.

"Working on it," she answered. He chanced a glance at her, seeing her eyes darting in all directions. He knew she was now observing the situation, weighing the options, and calculating factors he couldn't even consider. It was amazing to think that Marinette, such an unassuming, simple girl, could be hiding such potent analytical powers, able to use them even under duress. Cat Noir turned his attention back to his foe, focusing on dodging until his lady had a plan for him.

"Hey, bikerman!" Ladybug shouted suddenly, "If you want our miraculous, you'll have to catch _us_." Cat Noir glanced at her, seeing she was running toward the nearest apartment building. Without missing a beat, Cat Noir was racing beside her, ascending the building in leaps and bounds.

"That's Binder to you!" the villain shouted back at them in an angry tone, "Come back here!" Cat Noir looked down to see the villain jumping after them, his powerful legs sending him so high he reached the building and hit it halfway up with a single bound. Holding onto a nearby windowsill, he shoved his chain in his teeth and rapidly climbed up the side just as Ladybug and Cat Noir reached the top.

"Get ready," Ladybug said, total confidence showing on her face. Cat Noir was always impressed by her focus in battle and her absolute certainty in executing her plans. He couldn't help but smile as he readied his staff, prepared to strike, just as she did the same with her yoyo.

Binder thrust himself over the edge of the roof, flying some ten feet in the air, as he prepared to come down with a crash. The moment he was in sight, the yoyo went out, wrapping around him and pinioning his arms while yanking him to the ground. He crashed forward with a scream, managing to land on his feet, as Cat Noir leaped forward, his staff aimed for his helmet.


	36. Part 2 - Chapter 16

"No, you don't!" Binder shouted. He twisted suddenly, his strength surprising Ladybug momentarily and pulling her off her feet. She slammed right into Cat Noir as he jumped through the air, leaving both to topple to the ground at Binder's feet. With the cord slackened, Binder easily shook off the restraining yoyo.

"Now you're mine," Binder was grinning with menace as he whipped his chain down at the heroes laying at his feet. Both rolled away quickly, but Ladybug wasn't quite fast enough. She felt the cold metal of the chain wrap around her torso, pinioning her in much the same way she had just done to Binder. He gave a tug on his chain, pulling Ladybug closer, as he reached down to pull off her earrings.

"Ladybug, no!" Cat Noir shouted, leaping forward, staff swinging. Binder jumped away just in time, dragging Ladybug with him. Cat Noir continued to press the attack, trying to break the chain, but Binder kept one step ahead of him, always tugging or dragging Ladybug with him. Luckily, the magic of the miraculous made the wielder nearly invulnerable. Still, having her face dragged along the ground was an unpleasant experience for Ladybug.

All the while, she continued to struggle, trying to free herself from the chains. _It's no good,_ she realized, _they're too tight._ As the chase continued, Binder backed up against the edge of the roof, lifting Ladybug off the ground and dangling her over the edge. She gulped as she looked into the alley, too far below for her liking. Luckily, there was a fire escape just below her, but Binder didn't seem to have noticed it.

"Don't you dare," Cat Noir growled threateningly. Binder chuckled in response.

"I can get her miraculous later," he said, "first I need to deal with you." There was a harsh, cracking sound as, all of a sudden, Ladybug felt herself falling. The chain had been detached, and now she was plummeting into the alley.

* * *

"You'll pay for that!" Cat Noir growled at the villain, feeling rage build up inside him. _Please be okay, Ladybug,_ he pleaded silently _._

The villain was moving forward now, trying to grab Cat Noir with his chain as well. He kept out of the way, trying to find some cover. Leaping back, he ducked behind an air conditioning unit on the roof. Behind him was a billboard and he wondered if that could be used to his advantage somehow.

"That won't help you!" Binder shouted. Cat Noir saw a chain wrap around the air conditioning unit he was hiding behind. It was torn apart as he leapt away.

"I think I need to put a chain on you!" Cat Noir shouted as he moved in to attack again, staff swinging, "You're out of control!"

The chain came swinging out again, trying to grapple him, but Cat Noir dodged easily out of the way. Carefully he maneuvered himself away from Binder and toward the alley where Ladybug was dropped. He _had_ to make sure she was okay. Nothing else mattered to him.

With a sweep of the legs, Cat Noir dropped Binder to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, he turned and jumped, landing on the lip of the rooftop. He immediately spotted Ladybug struggling against her bonds on the fire escape just a couple floors below him. He sighed in relief, about to jump down to her, when he heard a movement behind him.

Cat Noir jumped to the side just in time, balancing precariously on the edge of the roof as the chain went flying past him. Now that he knew Ladybug was okay, he could focus on Binder.

"Time to finish this," Cat Noir's confident tone had returned, lifting his right hand in the air, "Cataclysm!"

As he shouted, the chain that had whipped past him suddenly pulled to the side, slamming into him. Before he knew it, his left arm and torso were wrapped up in thick chains. He had been caught.


	37. Part 2 - Chapter 17

Cat Noir quickly grabbed at the chain with his magically-charged hand. Binder detached the chain from the part trapping Cat Noir, causing the destructive power to fly harmlessly through open air. The source chain was back in Binder's hand, leaving Cat Noir bound.

 _I could use the cataclysm to free myself,_ he considered, _but he can just trap me again. I have to get rid of the chain, then I'll get back to Ladybug and we'll figure this out._ His mind made up, he kept his hand at the ready, leaving his left arm trapped. His staff had already dropped from his hand, sitting useless at his feet now.

"Looks like I caught you, Cat!" Binder shouted, smiling gleefully.

"This cat doesn't like to be held down," Cat Noir smiled, rushing forward. His movements were not as graceful with one arm out of commission, but he was still fast. Binder was careful about using his chain now, wary of the destructive energy coming at him. _I have him now,_ Cat Noir was feeling confident again. He couldn't risk an attack because he might lose his chain, and then the fight would be over for him.

As he chased him around the rooftop, though, it was obvious it was not going to end easily. Binder was being extremely careful, while Cat Noir was now on a timer. Already his ring sounded its first, shrill, _beep_.

Binder backed up against the edge of the roof, with nowhere left to run. Cat Noir rushed forward, grabbing at the chain. With his clumsy movements, though, Binder was able to leap away at the last minute, leaving Cat Noir to barely catch himself in time before tumbling off the edge.

As he turned around, he felt the chain connect again. This time it wrapped around his legs, immobilizing him and dragging him back. His face smacked against the edge of the roof, just barely holding his Cataclysm away from himself. He twisted quickly, grabbing the end of the chain just as Binder detached it. The chains wrapping his legs were still there, but the source chain in his hand shriveled to nothing.

"Gotcha," Cat Noir smirked, _Now I just hope Ladybug can get free on her own._

For a brief moment, Binder looked as his empty hand in shock and dismay. He seemed to quickly brush it off though, smiling a wide grin at Cat Noir. "No, I got _you!_ " he said gleefully, grabbing Cat Noir by the chains wrapped around him and lifting him into the air.

"You've already lost, what do you think you can do?" Cat Noir said, though he was starting to worry. Ladybug needed to show up _now_.

"I can take this," Binder said, his left hand wrapping around Cat Noir's free hand. His ring hand.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Cat Noir struggled, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Well you don't," Binder's tone was ecstatic, "Looks like I got a ring for you, Hawk Moth." He let go of the chains, holding Cat Noir up by just his hand, and dangled him over the edge. With his right hand he pulled open Cat Noir's clenched fist and held him up by the fingers. The fingers of his left hand then closed around the ring, holding it tight.

"No," Cat Noir looked in horror, realizing what was about to happen, "No!" His left arm was trapped. His legs were trapped. He had no cataclysm to use. There was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen.

"Bye, cat," Binder grinned, releasing his grip on Cat Noir's fingers. He fell, but his ring stayed firmly in Binder's grip as he plummeted.

* * *

"Oof," Ladybug grunted, landing on the fire escape just a couple stories below. She wasn't dead, that was something to be grateful for, but she wasn't in the best position either. She had to find some way to escape her chains and get back to Cat Noir.

 _If I could just hit the chains with my yoyo,_ she told her herself, _I could break them, but how?_ She had fallen on her yoyo hand, so she turned and tried recalling it, but it didn't respond. Frantic, Ladybug turned to see it lying beside her, having slipped off her finger.

"Are you kidding me?" she rolled her eyes at it, as though hoping to make it feel guilty. With no other choice, she rolled onto her stomach, trying to crawl forward like a worm, until her hand could reach her yoyo. It was slow going but eventually her finger found the yoyo ring and slipped it on. The whole time she heard sounds of the fight above her, sometimes coming very close, other times distant.

With her weapon at the ready again, she looked around for a solution. She could break the chains, but she needed to hit them with enough force and from the right angle; just bashing the yoyo against them wouldn't work. Looking around her, she noticed the railing around the fire escape. _That'll work,_ she smirked, seeing the solution clear as day. She shifted her position so her yoyo was facing one of the railings, then tossed it out as best she could in her awkward. The magic of the yoyo responded to her, shooting out at full strength, and then wrapping around the bar of the railing once, like a pulley, and looping back at her, smashing through the chains.

"Yes!" she shouted, retracting the yoyo and jumping to her feet, "Back in business." She turned and readied herself to leap back to the roof. She was just in time to see Cat Noir dropped off the side of the building.


	38. Part 2 - Chapter 18

With horror, Marinette watched as a wave of magic begin traveling up Cat Noir's body, signifying his de-transformation. Without stopping to think, she leapt forward, her yoyo flying out to wrap around him as she went. She caught a brief glimpse of orange tennis shoes and jeans as she pulled him in, slinging him over her right shoulder as she wielded her yoyo in her left hand.

"What happened!" she shouted more as an exclamation than a question. She threw out her yoyo again, pulling them forward in the alleyway as she looked for a safe place to deposit him. She realized he must've lost his ring, it was the only explanation for why he turned back all of a sudden, but now she needed to get him away from the battle until she could retrieve it. Seeing the chains wrapped around his torso and legs, it wasn't hard to guess what happened.

"Sorry, m'lady," he apologized meekly, dangling behind her, "guess I wasn't careful enough."

She was painfully aware of the fact that he had now fully transformed back, his identity exposed. She wanted very much to see more of him than just a pair of jeans hanging over her shoulder, but she knew she shouldn't look.

Trying not to focus on him, she saw an open window nearby. Allowing her yoyo to smash through window so it could grip on the pane, she pulled them into it, quickly ducking behind the wall. She hated causing wanton destruction like that, even knowing that her magical ladybugs would fix it all in the end, but sometimes she had no choice.

"I'm going to leave you here," Ladybug said, looking away from him, "I'll come back once I've gotten your miraculous back." Keeping her head turned away, she lowered him down until his feet touched the ground.

"You're not going to break the chains on me first?" he asked hopefully.

"I…" Ladybug hesitated. It would be rather cruel to leave him chained like that, but… "I would have to look…"

"It's okay," Cat Noir answered in a soft voice, "I want you to see, Marinette."

Ladybug gasped. Despite knowing her identity, he had never once called her by name while she was transformed. Something about the way he said it, though… she could feel the love and trust laced into that one name. More than that, hearing his voice speak her name, it suddenly sounded very familiar, like another voice she knew so well.

Unable to resist her curiosity anymore, Ladybug turned slowly to face Cat Noir, and her eyes went wide.

* * *

Adrien was falling. His miraculous was gone. Without it, he felt a wave of energy sweep across his body as his powers faded, leaving him as a civilian once more. _I'm sorry, Ladybug. I failed._

At that moment, he felt a thick cord wrap around him. It wasn't the first time he had felt that cord, or the sharp tug as he was pulled away. He felt his whole body lurching, turning as he flew to see Ladybug rushing toward him. The wind was knocked out of him as her shoulder rammed into the chains around his waist and he let out a gasp. With his suit on, that wouldn't have fazed him, but as a civilian, Ladybug's enhanced strength could _hurt_.

"What happened!" Ladybug shouted at him, more as an exclamation than a real question. She sounded horrified and, to be honest, he couldn't blame her.

"Sorry, m'lady," he apologized, feeling embarrassed, "guess I wasn't careful enough."

He heard a window smash as they turned sharply, flying through an open window and landing on glass-strewn ground. Ladybug quickly pressed them against the wall, out of sight of anyone outside.

"I'm going to leave you here," Ladybug said, looking decidedly in the opposite direction from him, "I'll come back once I've gotten your miraculous back." She gently lowered him until his feet touched the ground, still looking away.

"You're not going to break the chains on me first?" Adrien asked hopefully, standing awkwardly with his legs bound together.

"I…" Ladybug started. He could sense her hesitation. "I would have to look," she said weakly.

Adrien could sense her conflict. She wanted to look. The two had had opportunities before to see one another's identities, but she was always insistent on keeping them hidden. This time was different. This time, he already knew who she was, and she had started to develop her love for him. She wanted to know.

"It's okay," Adrien answered, his voice quiet and understanding, "I want you to see, Marinette." He then tried to brace himself for whatever came next.


	39. Part 2 - Chapter 19

"Adrien?!" Ladybug shrieked, her voicing rising in pitch.

"Yup, it's me, m'lady," Adrien smiled sheepishly.

 _AdrienisCatNoirAdrienisCatNoirAdrienisCatNoirAdrienis… No!_ Ladybug gave herself a shake, trying to refocus her thoughts on the one thing in this situation that still made sense to her: the akuma.

"I don't have time for this right now," her voice was shaky, still speaking in high-pitched tones, but she tried to calm herself. There was time for conversations later, right now there was a villain on the loose. Ladybug casually flicked out her yoyo to smash the chains, then turned and jumped out the window.

"I got his chain for you, m'lady!" Adrien called after her.

Ladybug used her yoyo to swing skillfully through the air, landing on the roof gracefully. Binder was still up there, away from the edge now and studying something small and black in his hand. The miraculous.

 _Adrien is Cat Noir._ Despite her trying to focus, Ladybug couldn't shake that thought from her head. Suddenly everything made sense to her. It felt like she's been provided a mess of puzzle pieces and only just found the one that connects them all. Now that she knew it, it was so obvious she was surprised she didn't see it before.

 _Of course he is,_ she told herself, charging at Binder, _that's why he was trying to get me back together with Adrien, because he_ is _Adrien!_

Binder was slow, incredibly slow. He hardly realized what was going on before Ladybug had reached him, kicking him in the gut. He stumbled back from the force of the blow, reacting so slowly, as if moving through molasses.

 _Of course he is,_ her mind was reeling now, putting everything together, _Adrien said he was in love with someone else. It was with_ me _, with Ladybug!_

Ladybug realized that Binder wasn't moving slowly, _she_ was moving faster. Her body seemed to move instinctively, with a passion behind it that surprised her. She dropped to ground and swept Binder's leg, knocking him on his back with a loud _thump_.

 _Of course he is. Every time Cat Noir didn't show up, I was with Adrien! Simon Says, Riposte, Gorizilla… And lost his miraculous? Ha! He was a glitter statue, that's why Cat Noir never showed up!_

Almost at the same instant he hit the ground, Ladybug's hand shot out to grab the miraculous from Binder's giant mitt. Her superhero instincts were driving her forward, pushing her beyond her normal limits, but there was more than that. As her head swam with this new epiphany, her heart was filled with an outpouring of love that she had never felt before, and that gave her a strength she never could have imagined.

 _I love him!_ she realized, _I love Adrien, but I've also come to love Cat Noir! And he loves me, both as Ladybug_ and _as Marinette!_

Binder rolled away and onto his feet, looking desperate as he tried to get into a defensive stance. Ladybug put the miraculous in the safest place she could think: on her finger. She clenched her fist tight, making sure it was securely in place before pressing the attack once again.

 _We're in love!_ She felt so elated, she could hardly describe the feeling. After so many months of unrequited love, finally she realized he _did_ feel the same way about her that she did about him. Now, together, they could be stronger, and they could defeat Hawk Moth once and for all.

Binder was driven back by the onslaught, unable to hold a candle to this new, empowered Ladybug. Within moments he was knocked flat on his back again. Ladybug expertly jumped over, did a flip, and pulled his helmet off as she landed. Before she could attempt to break it, a cloud of dark energy materialized in front of her.

* * *

With unparalleled glee, Hawk Moth watched through Binder's eyes as Cat Noir dropped into the alleyway, his miraculous left behind.

"Finally! Cat Noir's power of destruction is mine!" he declared, his voice echoing throughout the empty chamber. "Binder," he turned his attention back to his villain, "Look into the alley. I want to see that Cat Noir is gone for good."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," the deep voice rumbled in response. He stepped closer to the edge, peering down, but there was no sign of anyone.

"Hmm, Ladybug must've saved him before he hit the ground," Hawk Moth reasoned, "but that doesn't matter. Without Cat Noir, she'll be no match for you. You've already won, Binder!"

Binder stepped back from the edge, now lifting up the ring to inspect it more closely. "It's real this time," Hawk Moth spoke to himself, as he often did, "No salt dough this time. I've already won half the battle, and soon Ladybug's earrings will be mine as well!"

As he said this, Ladybug reappeared, flipping over the edge of the roof and landing not too far away. Before he had a chance to bark out any orders, or before Binder had even had an opportunity to realize what happened, Ladybug was charging him, rapidly closing the distance. Her foot connected with Binder's gut, winding him.

"Get me her miraculous!" Hawk Moth ordered harshly. Binder was stumbling back from the blow, stunned not just from the hit, but the speed at which it came. He tried turning on his attacker, but then his feet were swept out from under him, sending him sprawling on his back. The moment he fell, his prize was lost to him. Ladybug's hand shot out swiftly, grabbing the miraculous.

"No!" Hawk Moth yelled, suddenly feeling his victory slipping away, "Get it back!"

Binder rolled away into a crouching position, quickly getting to his feet. He was shocked by the initial speed and strength of her attack, but now he seemed to have recovered. Hawk Moth watched through his eyes as Ladybug slipped the ring onto her finger.

That was when Hawk Moth saw the expression on her face. There was determination, that persistence in fighting to the very end. He had seen that look on her face plenty of times, but there was more to it than that, something that had allowed her to move with such speed and strength that even Hawk Moth saw hardly more than a blur.

 _Love._

He gasped at the realization, suddenly fearful at this epiphany. He saw love in her eyes, an intense love and a need to protect that love. He knew the feeling well. It was love that drove his campaign of terror throughout the city. It was love that pushed him forward, and that made him unstoppable. Now he saw that same look on Ladybug's face, and it scared him.

 _Where did this come from?_ Hawk Moth found himself wondering, watching hopelessly as his villain, who only moments ago had reached his greatest success, was now being beaten back without a hope. He kept focus on her eyes, seeing in them that same, ferocious determination to protect someone she loved that he felt, and realized immediately that this battle was over.

Hawk Moth watched dejectedly as his champion was knocked to the ground and his akumatized helmet was pulled off. Hawk Moth's shoulders slumped with abject defeat. Before Ladybug could destroy the helmet, though, something happened. Hawk Moth looked up in shock as dark energy materialized in front of Ladybug, causing her to drop the helmet in shock. With a gasp, Hawk Moth knew exactly what had happened.

 _Mayura!_


	40. Part 2 - Chapter 20

After recent akumas, specifically Heartbreaker, posed a risk to reporters, the news copters were smart enough to keep further away from the actual fighting. They still got a great view of the action, though, allowing Nathalie to watch in satisfaction as Hawk Moth's latest victim, Binder, fought Cat Noir on the roof of some building, Ladybug already out of commission.

Nathalie was sitting up in bed, watching the news from her tablet. Lately she'd been spending a lot more time in bed. She wasn't in pain, per se, but she lacked energy. Everything she tried to do took more effort and exhausted her faster. She couldn't stay on her feet for long, she couldn't carry much, and even breathing caused her to break into a fit of coughs on more than one occasion.

All this had happened thanks to her second use of the peacock miraculous. Using it only once had left her a little weakened, but it was more an inconvenience than anything else. Using it a second time was a lot rougher and had directly impacted on her productivity. She wasn't sure what would happen if she used it again, but she was hoping she wouldn't have to find out.

Still, she wouldn't hesitate to use it again if she felt it was necessary. She had made a promise to herself, that she would help Gabriel to accomplish his goal of reviving Emilie, no matter the cost. She wanted him to be happy, even if that meant taking herself out of the picture and restoring him to his lost wife.

"This is unbelievable!" the reporter was saying. Cat Noir had just plummeted off the edge of the building and out of sight, all wrapped up in chains. The camera was now zooming in on Binder. _What was that in his hand?_ "It's Cat Noir's ring!" the reporter exclaimed as the camera came into focus, seeing the black jewel held between the villain's fingers, "Cat Noir has lost his miraculous! This is a disaster!"

Nathalie felt a jolt of excitement. She wasn't one to express emotion very often, but that doesn't mean she didn't feel it. _This is it,_ she told herself, _he's won!_ With Cat Noir's miraculous in hand and Ladybug still chained up, the fight was over. Hawk Moth had won!

"What's going to happen now?" the reporter went on, clearly distressed, "Wait, there's Ladybug! She's back!"

Sure enough, the red-and-black superheroine had flipped onto the roof, no longer chained up and looking determined. The cameraman tried getting a close up of her, but she moved too fast, attacking swiftly. The view panned and zoomed out, allowing Nathalie to watch in horror as, with just a couple rapid attacks, Ladybug had knocked Binder to the ground and reclaimed the miraculous.

"No!" Nathalie shouted, before launching into a fit of coughing. _We're so close. So close!_ She couldn't let Ladybug win, not this time, not when victory was at hand.

Gabriel had forbidden her from using the peacock miraculous again, but nothing would stop her from helping him win. She pulled herself from her bed, moving as fast as she could. Gabriel had moved the miraculous in an attempt to make sure she didn't use it again, but she still knew where it was.

She moved as quickly as she could, down the hall to Gabriel's room. She may be just an assistant, but she was the de facto custodian of this house. There was no hiding place in the whole mansion she didn't know about, and no safe she didn't know how to open. Try as he might, Gabriel couldn't hide anything from her.

She found her way to his room, coughing as she pulled out the small safe under his bed. She was still carrying her tablet, listening to the reporter exclaim about the amazing turn around. She glanced at the screen one more time. _It's not too late,_ she told herself, _but it will be soon._

She entered the code, opened the safe, and pulled out the miraculous. _No matter the cost._

* * *

The cloud of darkness surprised Ladybug enough to make her drop the helmet. She was forced to jump back as a giant eagle appeared in front of her, its wingspan probably twice her height. It screeched at her threateningly before striking.

It's claws and beak shot out, trying to snatch her earrings. With its massive size and strength, though, it was more likely to tear off her _entire ear_. It also made some attempts for the hand where she now wore the miraculous of destruction.

Using her yoyo to protect herself, she warded off the initial attacks, forcing the eagle to move back and try to make another dive. Now Binder came back as well, his helmet loosely shoved back on his head and his determination restored. He attacked at the same time the eagle dove again. Despite her burst of strength and energy, Ladybug was finding herself backed into a corner, coming up on the edge of the roof.

With no other choice, she tossed her yoyo into the air with an emphatic shout of, "Lucky Charm!" The ancient magic of creation, which she was relying on to save her from this dire situation, decided to supply her with… a cat plushie?

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she looked at it with distaste. _It's not even very good craftmanship._

She moved around the roof, trying to gain some distance from her attackers while she looked around. There was a billboard on the opposite side of the building from her. She looked down at the cat plushie, seeing the miraculous on her finger. A smile started to form as she looked to her yoyo and gave herself a little nod. Sometimes, the lucky charm was just pointing her in a direction, without needing to actually use it. In this case, it reminded her of a different cat.

Since she wore the miraculous of destruction on her finger, she could call out the kwami currently hiding in it. She focused on it now and it responded instantly, Plagg materializing in front of her.

"Plagg!" she said quickly, still moving and dodging attacks, "I need you to knock over that billboard, but _not_ the whole building."

"Oh, but I'm sooo hung…" he started to complain, rubbing his belly.

"Not now, Plagg!" she shouted at him, her tone harsh and impatient. The little kwami looked at her with shock, as though no one had ever _not_ put up with his complaining before.

"Yes, ma'am!" he said at once with a little salute, suddenly very serious.

"Wait until I'm ready!" she said as he flew off. She started to move toward the billboard herself, weaving past the swinging fists and diving talons that came at her. As she got nearer, she stopped and turned around, watching her attackers come closer. Once she felt they were close enough, she turned and met eyes with Plagg, however briefly, and gave a little nod.

Binder charged, the eagle dove, and at the same time a tremor went through the rooftop. _Please don't collapse the whole building,_ Ladybug silently pleaded, seeing the shadow of the billboard pass over her. The bird came in close, but she ducked under it, slamming a fist into its chest to send it into the falling structure. Then her yoyo shot out, wrapping itself around Binder's leg. She yanked him as hard as she could, dragging him along the ground. His helmet, still loose on his head, was left behind.

All this transpired in a few, vital seconds. The moment Binder was next to her, Ladybug let out the string of her yoyo further than usual and spun it in a wide circle over her head, just as the billboard came crashing down on her.

 _I hope this works like it did with the bus!_ was her last thought before the billboard hit.


	41. Part 2 - Chapter 21

The rapidly spinning, indestructible yoyo did its job, cutting a hole straight through the billboard as it fell. The hole was big enough that Binder was spared, but both his helmet and Mayura's eagle were crushed by the falling sign. Ladybug watched with satisfaction as the dark energy left Binder, leaving behind a man in protective biking gear looking very confused. A black akuma then pulled itself out from under the billboard, trying to fly away.

"Time to de-evilise!" Ladybug shouted, tossing out her yoyo to catch the akuma. She reeled it in with a "Gotcha!" before releasing it as a purified butterfly once more. "Bye bye, little butterfly," she smiled at it as it flew off. Then, tossing her lucky charm into the air, she finished her job with a final shout of, "Miraculous ladybugs!"

The magical ladybugs spread all over the city, fixing the billboard, restoring all the smashed cars, and repairing the window Ladybug broke earlier. Ladybug felt a weight lift as she watched the magical ladybugs work, knowing her job was done. With the villain taken care of, she had other things that needed her attention.

"Ladybug?" the de-akumatized Binder was saying, sounding confused, "What am I doing up here?"

"Nothing anymore," she smiled at him, "let me help you down." With her enhanced strength, it was a simple matter to pick up even such a muscular man, holding onto him as she lowered them both with her yoyo to the ground below. He thanked her and ran off to look for his bike. As he left, Plagg came up beside Ladybug.

"Pound it!" they both said, sharing their iconic victory sign. "Now we have to get you back to…" Ladybug paused, hesitating to say the name out loud, "Adrien."

"Oh, so you know?" Plagg said, sounding relieved, "Finally! That was the hardest secret I ever had to keep."

Ladybug leapt and climbed, assisted by her yoyo, up the side of the building and back to the window where she deposited Adrien. And there he was, looking out the window, watching her approach. He had a huge smile on his face, one that mirrored Ladybug's own. As she landed gracefully on the windowsill, the two just stared at each other, having no need of words to share their feelings in that moment.

They probably would've stayed like that for a while if not for the beeping of Ladybug's earring. _Only three minutes left,_ she reminded herself.

"I think we need to talk," she said, still smiling, "but… not here."

Ladybug scooped the love of her life into her arms with her enhanced strength, lifting him without issue. Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on tight while she readied her yoyo to jump away.

"Try and keep up, Plagg," Ladybug winked at the kwami as she swung away.

"What!" Plagg sounded indignant, flying beside her and keeping pace easily, "I've been doing this for thousands of years!"

 _I can't believe it's him,_ Ladybug was still in shock by the whole situation, looking down at the boy in her arms, _this whole time, he was right in front of me!_ Something about it was still bugging her, like a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, but she was so caught up in the revelation that her concerns had been pushed aside.

It wasn't long before they made it to her home. She landed on the balcony, holding onto Adrien to brace him for the impact, just as her earrings beeped again. He looked up into her eyes in wonder as she gently put him down. _Is this a dream?_ Ladybug wondered, seeing his beautiful green eyes staring into hers, all his love for her shining through. _He really_ does _love me!_

"I can't believe this," Ladybug said, so many emotions roiling within her that words were hard to find, "It was always you."

"Yeah," he smiled, his wonderful, perfect smile, "I was pretty surprised, too, when…"

 _That's right! He's known my identity for weeks!_ Ladybug remembered.

"So…" Adrien was scratching the back of his neck, watching Ladybug closely, "I guess you're not… disappointed?"

"How could I be?" Ladybug asked, shocked he could even ask such a thing. _No, I'm thrilled! I can't even express how I feel!_ No words she could think of seemed sufficient in that moment. Staring into his deep green eyes, overcome by emotion, Ladybug found herself being drawn forward. There was only one way to show him how she felt, and she had waited so long to show him.

As she drew forward, he came closer as well, leaning down to meet her. Both of them closed their eyes as their lips touched. The kiss was so soft, so gentle, but infused with all the love that had built up within both of them for so long. It was the kiss she had waited for too long, and she savored it, feeling all the passion of Adrien through it, breathing in his scent. She felt his hands gently wrapping around her waist, pulling her forward. Her arms wrapped around his neck, drawing him nearer to her.

Ladybug didn't hear the final beeping of her earrings, but she did feel the magic expire as they remained in that passionate embrace. She was just Marinette again, but she didn't care. She and Adrien were together finally, that was all that mattered.


	42. Part 2 - Chapter 22

The two of them finally separated, looking lovingly into each other's eyes. Both were blushing fiercely. Marinette's heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst, and her breathing was heavy. For the first time, it seemed real. She was really standing on her balcony, with Adrien, holding one other. And they had just kissed.

"I hope…" Adrien's smile faltered momentarily, a look of apprehension in his eyes, "this means you're not mad at me anymore?"

"What?" Marinette was shocked, "Why would I be…" _Oh, right._ In the tumble of revelation and outpouring of emotion, she had completely forgotten about the events of the last few weeks. Now it came rushing back, the despair, the regret, the anger…

"I… I don't know," Marinette admitted, her arms loosening a bit as she turned away. _How_ do _I feel?_ she wondered. Caught up in the moment, she hadn't stopped to think about it, but in light of this revelation, how does it change recent events?

Her love for Adrien was real, she was sure of that, but now he had this whole other side of him that she hadn't realized. Did she really love Cat Noir, or had she just been warming up to the idea because she knew he loved her? She never really got a chance to explore those feelings. Marinette subconsciously found herself pulling away from Adrien. He released her, though he seemed reluctant to do so.

"Marinette," Adrien said softly, catching her eye and placing a hand gently on her shoulder, "What's the matter?"

"It's just…" she blinked at him, trying to formulate words, "things are moving so fast, and…"

"It's ok," he smiled at her, his voice comforting, "We're in love. Whatever the problems are, we'll work them out."

"Are we?" she asked him, looking him in the eye, "I mean, you love Ladybug, right? Wait, that means you dumped me for Ladybug, even though she kept rejecting you? And then…" Marinette was putting the whole picture together finally, "then you came and apologized to me… Only because you found out I'm Ladybug! You never loved me as Marinette at all!" Her heart was beating fast, her eyes full of accusation and worry. She felt like she was losing something precious that she had only just found, but she couldn't be with someone who loved her only for her alter ego, she wanted Adrien to love her for _her_.

"I…" Adrien hesitated, removing his hand from her shoulder, his expression hurt, "I do love you, Marinette, not just Ladybug…" His tone was shaky, uncertain. Was it because he was lying, or because he was hurt, too?

"I love you," Marinette went on, "because you're so kind, and wonderful, and modest, and thoughtful. But Cat Noir… He's always been so… so… flippant! Irritating! Always joking around and flirting when I'm trying to be serious! It really bugged me…"

Adrien was looking heartbroken, shattered. Marinette recognized that look and instantly regretted her outburst. _I don't want to hurt him the way_ I _was hurt._ "I'm sorry, I don't mean to say…" she sighed, trying to formulate her thoughts, trying to recapture the moment they had shared just a moment ago. She could feel the passion and love from Adrien through his kiss, and she felt it as well. No, they were definitely in love, but somehow it didn't feel right yet.

"Adrien," she gave him a weak smile, "You're right, we are in love, but… I just need some time to figure this out, I'm feeling a little lost right now.

"All right," Adrien looked down with a sigh, "I understand."

"I'm sorry," Marinette threw herself at him, so hard she nearly knocked him off his feet, and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest, "I do love you, and I know you love me, just give me some time. Please."

"Anything for you, m'lady," he answered, his spirits rising again as he hugged her back.

* * *

As soon as the billboard fell and crushed the akumatized helmet, Gabriel was rushing out of his secret lair.

"Dark wings fall!" he declared even as the elevator descended, allowing Nooroo to leave the miraculous and fly free. It was always a bit of a shock to his system to experience a de-transformation. He was an experienced miraculous user, but he was getting older. The difference in stamina between his transformed self and his normal self had grown more noticeable over the years.

Gabriel ascended back into his office and marched quickly out the door. He didn't care at that moment if Adrien saw him rushing through the halls, his only thought was to get to Nathalie quickly and to make sure she was all right. He warned her harshly not to use the miraculous again, but she refused to listen.

He found Nathalie collapsed in his room, her head resting on the bed. Duusu was hovering uncertainly over her, not saying a word. Her breathing was shallow and her body was shaking. On the floor beside her was the safe where he had placed the miraculous, hoping to prevent her from using it again.

"Nathalie!" Gabriel came to her quickly, feeling horrified. _How did she open the safe?_ "I told you it was too dangerous! What were you thinking?" he berated her as he picked her up in his arms. Gabriel was not the strongest, but Nathalie had grown much lighter recently, too light.

"You were…" Nathalie's voice was weak and shaky, "so close." She paused as she was taking by a severe fit of coughing. "I had to… help."

Gabriel saw a flashback as he carried her, a painful memory he could never repress. He remembered carrying his own wife, in much the same way, as she slipped away from him. Now he watched Nathalie doing the same, and he was once more powerless to stop it. He wanted to reprimand her, to shout at her for disobeying, but the sight of her pained him too much. He lay her down in her bed, watching as she curled up piteously, her body weakened from using the damaged miraculous.

 _No more,_ Gabriel shook his head, his expression pained, _I can't let anyone else get hurt_ _the way Emilie did, and if the only way I can stop her is by quitting, then I will. I'm going to quit being Hawk Moth for good._

END OF PART 2


	43. Part 3 - Chapter 1

I'm back! Unfortunately, I hardly found time to write over the past week, so I'm not as prepared as I would've liked. That's why I'm posting my update so late today. Hopefully I'll find the time soon to finish my writing and getting everything in order, but until then, updates are going to be a little late. That being said, here's the first chapter of the final part of my fanfic. Enjoy!

* * *

The next twenty minutes was one of the most awkward periods in Marinette's life. After discovering Cat Noir was Adrien, the two had kissed on her balcony, only for Marinette to realize she still wasn't ready for this. Now they were still on her balcony, their kwamis needing food before they could transform again, and both of them needed to get back to school.

Without speaking beyond a few embarrassed mutterings, Marinette led Adrien down into the kitchen, checking first to make sure her parents were gone. Their kwamis were now flying openly beside them, no longer needing to stay hidden, while Marinette searched for food for them both. They had no camembert, as Plagg requested, but he accepted other cheese as an alternative. Tikki was happy to munch a cookie.

After that, Marinette and Adrien, still awkward about the whole situation, quietly stole down the stairs, snuck past the back entrance to the bakery, and out the door. There they had to go around the block just to avoid walking in view of the bakery, finally making it back to school.

With the akuma having been dealt with for a while at this point, everyone had returned to class by now. Marinette and Adrien quietly rushed across the courtyard, up the stairs, and arrived at their class.

As Marinette opened the door and stole in, Alya was the only one who seemed to really take notice, but as soon as Adrien walked in behind her, suddenly it seemed like the whole class was staring. Ms. Bustier had looked up at her with a somewhat exasperated look at first, but that turned to a knowing smile when she saw Adrien. Marinette felt her cheeks burning from embarrassment. Attempting to ignore them all, she made her way to her seat, not chancing a glance back at Adrien. Almost as soon as she sat down, Alya sidled up closer to whisper in her ear.

"What were you doing?!" she asked, her tone both curious and accusatory.

"Nothing!" Marinette whispered back quickly, still blushing furiously. She refused to look at Alya, still uncertain how to feel about the whole situation, as she pulled her book from her bag.

"Did you two make up?" Alya pressed her, not willing to be ignored.

"No! Yes? Kind of, I guess…"

"Did you two make out?!" Alya went on, sounding both nervous and excited as she did.

"No!" Marinette's voice squeaked loudly as she answered, her blush deepening further as all eyes in the classroom were on her again.

"Marinette," Ms. Bustier looked at her sternly, "Please don't disturb the class anymore."

"Sorry," Marinette muttered, eyes downcast. Then, to Alya, she added, "Please, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"All right," Alya conceded, "but I want to know the details later."

* * *

Adrien was aware that all eyes in the classroom seemed to be on him, but he didn't care. The only person in the room he cared about was the one he walked in with. After their kiss on the roof and her subsequent rejection of him – though a temporary one, she claimed – he wasn't sure how to talk to her anymore, and he was afraid he might say something wrong. But she had given him hope that he could finally fix his mistake, and that they could finally be together.

He followed Marinette into the room and took his seat beside Nino. At first his best friend just gave him a curious, sideways glance, but said nothing. Adrien took his book out from his bag, which was still sitting under his desk, and tried to focus on what Ms. Bustier was teaching. As he tried to focus his thoughts, behind him he heard a sudden, squeaky, "No!" He didn't need to turn around to know it was Marinette.

"Dude, what happened?" Nino whispered, finally deciding to speak up.

"Oh, nothing," Adrien tried giving a nonchalant chuckle, but he knew it sounded forced.

"Come on, dude," Nino pressed him, "Where were you? You weren't in the locker room, and neither was Marinette."

"Okay," Adrien sighed, quickly trying to come up with a lie that was close enough to the truth. He was never good at lying, and he hated doing it with his best friend especially, but it's not like he could tell him the real story. "I pulled Marinette aside so I could talk to her again, and then we just… talked."

"Is that all you did?" Nino asked, eying his friend suspiciously.

"Yeah, of course," Adrien gave a nervous chuckle.

"You're a terrible liar, dude," Nino shook his head, "But we can talk about it after class."


	44. Part 3 - Chapter 2

When class was over, Marinette tried packing her things up quickly to get away, but the faster she tried to go the clumsier she was. By the time she managed to pick back up everything she had dropped, she found herself surrounded. Most of the class had already gone, but all her girlfriends were now standing around her, and all of them looked like they wanted details.

"So what were you and Adrien doing?" Alix was the first to speak up, her arms crossed and her tone accusatory. She still hadn't forgiven Adrien and didn't seem to like the idea of Marinette together with him anymore.

"Are you two a couple now?" Rose said excitedly, her eyes alight with the chance of romance.

"Come on, girl," Alya prompted her, "Spill it! What happened?"

"Uh… Well…" Marinette hesitated, unsure what to say. Her lies were never convincing, especially not when she was put on the spot like this, but she obviously couldn't tell them what _actually_ happened. "Uh, I was… Tripped! I tripped, right, when I was going to the stairs. And Adrien… helped me, so we went downstairs together. But… But then a car came crashing down!" – Marinette waved her arms for emphasis as she remembered the car Binder had hurled at her – "So we couldn't get to you. And, uh… We went to the basement instead! Right, we thought that would be safer. So, we didn't know it was safe to come up. And… yeah, that's all." She ended with a nervous giggle. Glancing around her, no one looked convinced.

"That's all, huh?" Alya repeated suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't have to lie to us," Mylène put in, her tone empathic as usual, "We're just worried about you."

"Well," Marinette started again slowly, uncertain, "I guess… We talked for a bit, and we worked some things out. And then we…" Everyone leaned in, seeming to hold their breath, as Marinette hesitated before ending her sentence, "kissed."

There was a general outcry from her listeners as the admission came out. Marinette felt her cheeks grow warm and she kept her gaze downward. Alix was still upset, Mylène and Rose seemed excited, Juleka and Alya both looked uncertain.

"I guess that makes you a real couple now," Alya said slowly, stating it more as a fact than a question.

"Well, no," Marinette explained, "It all happened so fast, and I'm still not ready. I told him I need more time, still." The general outcry died down as everyone digested this. Alix was the only one that seemed pleased, everyone else was thoughtful. "I just want some time to be alone right now," she continued slowly, "I need time to think."

* * *

Adrien had no desire to talk about what happened between him and Marinette, but it seems he wasn't getting out of it. As he and Nino headed out, he saw Marinette was worse off than he was, quickly finding herself swarmed by her friends. He kept his gaze on her as he walked out of the room, only turning away when she was out of sight.

"What's going on, dude?" Nino asked as they walked downstairs together. He watched his friend more his confusion than concern.

"I don't know," Adrien admitted, still trying to figure things out himself, "It felt like we were finally working things out, and then… then she said she's not ready yet."

"That's harsh," Nino sighed, "but hey, at least that means you've still got a chance, right?"

"Yeah," Adrien nodded, "I just don't know how long I'll have to wait."

"Hey, she waited for you for _months_ ," Nino laughed, "I think you can do some waiting now, dude."

"She… waited for me?" Adrien looked at Nino in confusion.

"Yeah, she's been crushing on you almost the whole year," Nino explained, as though it were obvious at this point, "and you never even noticed."

"And then I broke her heart," Adrien whispered to himself. Ironic that Plagg, who claimed not to understand humans, was right on point about that: people _are_ blind. _Not much to do about it now,_ Adrien sighed, _now I wait for her to be ready._


	45. Part 3 - Chapter 3

When the day was finally over, Marinette walked alone back home. She hadn't spoken to Adrien again the rest of the day. The fact that he was Cat Noir was a fact that she hadn't fully digested, but the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. Cat Noir was a great partner, but she hated his attitude most of the time. How could that be Adrien?

Adrien always seemed so reserved, so compassionate. Cat Noir was rambunctious and self-centered. _They're such opposites,_ Marinette sighed as she entered the bakery, _they_ can't _be the same person._ She passed her parents with a brief greeting, not really hearing them respond as she ascended the stairs.

 _Maybe Cat Noir is the real Adrien,_ she wondered, _the side of him he wants to be when his identity is hidden. Did I ever love that side of him? Was I starting to, or was that just because I was depressed about Adrien?_

She absentmindedly climbed up into her room and sat hard in her desk chair, staring up at the ceiling. Tikki flew out of her purse and hovered beside her.

"You've known the whole time, haven't you?" Marinette asked the kwami, not in an accusatory tone, but frustrated.

"Not the whole time," Tikki sighed, "but ever since Dark Owl trapped you."

"I wish you could've told me," Marinette buried her face in her hands, "that would've been a much better way to find out."

"Marinette, you know your identities were supposed to be a secret," Tikki reminded her.

"Yeah, but what about after he knew?" Marinette was growing upset, though she knew it was irrational, "You could've told me… then we'd both know, and…" Marinette trailed off, uncertain where she was going with this line of reasoning, just trying to work through some of her frustration.

Before Tikki had a chance to answer, her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and saw she had a text. From Adrien. She almost felt like ignoring it, though she wasn't sure why, but she read it anyway.

'We need to talk' was all it said. As Marinette contemplated her answer, another text came that said, 'Not about us. About work.'

* * *

Adrien finally got a moment to himself when he climbed into his car for the drive home. He tried to imagine how Marinette was feeling, considering everything he put her through recently. He was starting to realize that he was so caught up with what he wanted, he never stopped to consider her desires. _How could I have been so selfish?_ he wondered as he entered his home.

So caught up in his own thoughts, he hardly noticed his father walking slowly down the hallway, away from Nathalie's room. His gaze was downcast, extremely concerned about something. Adrien saw him walking by as he reached his room.

"Father?" Adrien looked at him, worried, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Adrien," his father looked up suddenly, as though just noticing him, "It's Nathalie. I'm afraid her condition has worsened." With that, he continued as his way, lost in his own thoughts. Adrien gave a concerned glance over towards Nathalie's room, wondering if he should pay her a visit. _Strange that her condition worsened so suddenly,_ he considered, hand still on his door, _just like it did…_

A thought struck him, a disturbing one. Quickly he entered his room and shut the door behind him, trying to think clearly. _We fought Mayura today,_ he reminded himself, _and the last time her condition worsened was the last time we fought Mayura, and she first got sick… after Heroes' Day!_

"Plagg!" Adrien said aloud, walking away from the door, "Can using a miraculous make someone sick?"

"I dunno," Plagg shrugged as he flew out from his hiding place, "Why would you think that?"

"Because, Nathalie…" Adrien shook his head. The notion was ridiculous. He _knew_ people didn't get sick from using a miraculous, he had been using his for months without a problem. But still, it was too much of a coincidence, he couldn't just ignore it. _After the last time Mayura appeared,_ Adrien remembered suddenly, _father was upset at Nathalie about something, which means… maybe he…_

"What's the matter?" Plagg asked, genuine concern in his voice as Adrien pulled out his phone. Not knowing what else to do, he sent Marinette a quick message saying, 'We need to talk'. After a moment, realizing that, with the day's events, she might interpret that the wrong way, he added quickly, 'Not about us. About work.'


	46. Part 3 - Chapter 4

Marinette wasn't sure what the text meant, but she immediately tensed up. The only 'work' Adrien could mean was superhero work, obviously. Was there another akuma already? _Why didn't he just tell me where it is then?_ Whatever it was, it must've been important. She texted him back, 'Meet me on the school in 10 mins' before heading downstairs.

Since her parents saw her come in, she couldn't just vanish without warning. They would get worried if they came upstairs and she wasn't there. When she got back downstairs, she found they were still working together in the bakery, though her mom was just coming out.

"Hey, mom," Marinette tried sounding cheerful, though she felt nervous, "I'm going out for a bit of fresh air. I'll be back soon."

"All right," her mother looked worried, but didn't protest as Marinette left.

As soon as she was outside, Marinette started walking up the line of apartments, looking around in case anyone could see her. Standing behind a pillar where she was hidden from view from the nearest pedestrians, she quietly declared, "Spots on."

Tikki flew to her earrings, granting them her power. A familiar wave of warm energy washed through her as she was granted the powers of creation. At this point, the transformation was so casual to her she barely appreciated it, but the strength and confidence that came with it was truly miraculous.

Ladybug jumped out from behind the pillar, quickly pulling herself up to the roof, then leaping across to the roof of the school. Adrien lived close by, but she didn't know how long it would take him to get away from home.

 _How_ does _he get away?_ Ladybug wondered, _His father is super-protective of him._ For the first time, she realized that he probably snuck out of home most of the time. The guise of Cat Noir was probably the only time he could get out of the house unsupervised. As she realized that, she finally started to understand his behavior a little better.

Before she could ponder it for long, the black-clad, leather-bound figure of Cat Noir landed on the roof not far from her. Apparently he was able to get out quickly.

"Well?" Ladybug asked as she walked up to him, arms crossed, "What was so important?" She didn't mean to come across as unkind, though she realized that's probably how she sounded. It had barely been a few hours since she discovered his identity and she still wasn't done digesting it.

"It's…" Cat Noir started slowly, his deep, green eyes betraying an intense sorrow, so strong that it shook Ladybug when she saw it, "It's about Nathalie."

* * *

"Nathalie?" Ladybug wondered. she looked at Cat Noir in confusion, but she seemed to be listening.

"Ok, this is going to sound weird," Cat Noir sighed, struggling to find the right way to say this, "but Nathalie's been getting really sick lately."

"Yeah, I think you mentioned it," Ladybug nodded, "On our…" she choked out the next couple words, "our date."

"Right," Cat Noir looked away in shame for a moment before resuming his explanation, "She never got better, but she's gotten worse. When I got home today, I saw she had gotten worse again."

"I still don't see what this has to do with us," Ladybug's tone turned impatient, frustrated. For a moment, Cat Noir wondered if he was wrong and should forget the whole thing, but he had to at least suggest the possibility. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him, and the more it frightened him.

"Like I said, this will sound weird, but," Cat Noir went on, "she got sick on Heroes' Day, then she got worse about a week ago, when Mayura showed up for the second time, then again today, when Mayura showed up again."

Ladybug's eyes went wide as she started to grasp what he was insinuating. He could almost see the gears in her head turning as she processed this new information, trying to make sense of it. Her arms were still crossed, but they loosened a bit as she thought about it.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked, sounding uncertain.

"I think there may be a connection," Cat Noir looked to her expectantly, as if hoping for some confirmation of his suspicions, "I think… she may be Mayura."


	47. Part 3 - Chapter 5

"That doesn't make any sense," Ladybug said, but she was holding her chin in her hand thoughtfully as she considered the situation, "Why would using the miraculous make her sick?"

"I don't know," Cat Noir shook his head, "That's why I said it was weird, but it's too much of a coincidence."

"Yeah," Ladybug agreed, "This is definitely a lead we should investigate, but I think we're over our heads with this one. We should talk to Master Fu."

"Good idea," Cat Noir nodded, "but I can't go now. I need to get back before anyone realizes I'm missing."

"Right, me, too," Ladybug agreed, "How about tomorrow, at lunch?" _Of course, I'll have to convince my girlfriends we're not kissing again…_

"Sure," Cat Noir agreed, though his voice sounded far off. Ladybug had been too busy contemplating this revelation to really consider the look on Cat Noir's face as he provided it. Now she looked at him and saw the expression in his eyes. He looked hurt, betrayed, confused. She realized suddenly she had seen this look before, though last time it was more intense. It was the same look as when she suggested Gabriel Agreste as the identity of Hawk Moth. His father. _That's why he was so upset!_ Now he himself was suggesting that his father's assistant might be in on it, and she could see how it pained him.

"Adrien," Ladybug placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to show sympathy, the name sounding odd when spoken to the visage of Cat Noir, "Are you all right? Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-No," he hesitated, "No, I'm fine. But… thank you." He pulled away from her, looking uncertain, and turned to leap away. "Until tomorrow, m'lady," he said with a little, half-hearted salute before jumping away.

For the first time, Ladybug realized that the loneliness she had always seen in Adrien's face was the same expression Cat Noir always wore on his. He joked around, but the humor was as much a mask as was the costume he wore, covering up just how sad and alone he truly was. As she watched her partner jump off, a tear rolled down Ladybug's cheek.

* * *

Cat Noir bounded away from the school, quickly coming to rest across from his bedroom window, but he hesitated before jumping over. He was not feeling in any rush to return home, not with his present suspicions.

He was half-hoping Ladybug would discount his suggestion as ridiculous. After all, since when do miraculous make people sick? That way he could put it from him mind and assume the people closest to him had nothing to do with the villain that regularly terrorized the city. Instead she agreed that his suspicions were valid, and it filled him with dread. If he was right, and Nathalie really _was_ Mayura, then Hawk Moth could be…

Ladybug had suspected his father once, though her reasons seemed incidental at the time and he didn't want to accept it. Now he was giving serious thought to those suspicions, and everything else he'd learned since then. The only reason Ladybug dropped her accusation at the time was because his father had been akumatized. Now that they knew he had an accomplice, Mayura, it made sense that he would've given over the miraculous to her so he could be akumatized and throw suspicion off of him.

 _How could father do such a thing?_ he tried to convince himself, but his refusal to accept it felt hollow, just as it had last time. His father was a cold, calculating man, extremely controlling and accustomed to getting what he wanted. If he wanted the miraculous so badly, would he be willing to terrorize the city to do it? Cat Noir felt he knew the answer to that question.

 _What could he want the wish for?_ he found himself wondering as he became more convinced of the truth, _He already has money, influence, fame… What else does he want? Can he really be that greedy?_ Cat Noir really didn't know his father as well as he would've liked, so he couldn't really answer this question. One thing was certain, though: Cat Noir was more alone than he ever had been before.


	48. Part 3 - Chapter 6

The next day, Marinette avoided talking to her friends about Adrien as much as possible, which was not easy. It seemed that was the _only_ topic anyone wanted to talk about. In some ways, she was dreading the period after lunch break because of the inevitable assumptions about where she and Adrien were disappearing to, but it had to be done. Being Ladybug _always_ came first.

When lunch break came, Marinette waited for Adrien to leave the class first, then followed shortly after. Hopefully she could prevent anyone from noticing they were together. When she got out into the hall, though, Adrien was standing right there waiting for her.

"Ready to go?" he asked, looking a little too excited.

"Why are you waiting for me?" Marinette whispered at him angrily. He looked taken aback as she grabbed his arm and started pulling him away, hoping to get out of sight before Alya came out of class. She had no such luck, spotting her watching them as they went down the stairs. Marinette blushed furiously.

"What's the matter?" Adrien asked, confused.

"It was hard enough having to convince them we're not a couple," Marinette explained through gritted teeth, "You're not making it any easier."

"Oh," Adrien looked despondent, "Sorry."

The two of them walked in silence as Marinette led them into the locker room. There were a few other students in there, luckily none from their class, so both of them put their backpacks away and dawdled at their lockers for a few minutes until everyone else left. Once the locker room was empty, they stood in the corner where anyone coming in suddenly wouldn't happen upon them.

"Ladies first," Adrien said, his eyes alight with enthusiasm. Marinette grimaced at him. _What's_ he _so excited about?_

"Fine," she huffed before declaring, "Tikki, spots on!" Tikki came flying out, empowering her miraculous. She couldn't help but smile as strength flowed through her again, infusing her with magical energy. She looked at Adrien and saw he was just staring at her, watching her with such delight it was actually a little creepy.

"Come on and transform already," Ladybug crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Of course, m'lady," Adrien said with a little bow, then he held out his ring and shouted, "Plagg, claws out!"

Ladybug had seen others transform before, but this was the first time she witnessed Cat Noir do it, and it felt… different. With Alya and Nino, they still seemed themselves, just with the costume over their normal garb, but she also knew who they were ahead of time. With Adrien, he seemed to turn into someone completely different. It wasn't just his outer appearance that changed, but she could see that sweet, almost innocent countenance turn playful, the swagger in his step that seemed to affect his posture, and that confidence that he could do anything. It was fascinating to watch.

"Now who's staring?" Cat Noir said with a wink, slipping into his new persona easily.

"Whatever," Ladybug scoffed, turning toward the window and pulling it open, "Let's go."


	49. Part 3 - Chapter 7

With their powers, it didn't take long to reach Master Fu's. They landed on the rooftop together, their movements synchronized from so long working together. Both dropped their transformation as they entered the staircase from the rooftop door.

They descended the stairs in silence. Marinette was still getting used to the feeling of walking next to Cat Noir _not_ in costume, especially considering it was Adrien, and with all the emotional turmoil he had put her through recently. She just wasn't ready yet to converse with him in a casual manner.

She knocked on the door to Master Fu's and it swung open almost immediately. The diminutive form of the last guardian of the miraculous stood before them, looking surprised at first, but then his expression turned hard.

"Come in," he said simply, ushering them into the room and shutting the door behind. They had both been here before, in times of need, but never together.

"I see you are together," Master Fu said gravely, his expression disapproving, as he turned to address them.

"What! No," Marinette began to stammer, "We're not together! That's not- Of course we're not- I mean…" She stopped when she noticed both Master Fu and Adrien were giving her looks, as well as the three kwamis that now hovered about the room. Her shoulders drooped and she fell silent.

"There is good reason for you to keep your identities a secret," Master Fu went on, ignoring the outburst, "yet I see you no longer keep them."

"It was my fault, master," Adrien sighed, "I was reckless and… lost my miraculous during the fight, so Marinette found out."

"I see," Master Fu nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose there's nothing to be done about it now. Now tell me what brings you here."

"Master," Adrien stepped forward, "Is it possible for a miraculous to… hurt it's user?"

"Hurt?" Master Fu looked surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Can someone get sick from using a miraculous?" Adrien explained.

"Hmm," Master Fu stroked his beard, looking thoughtful. He began muttering to himself as his gaze seemed to drift, looking at nothing in particular. "I've never heard of such a thing," he said finally, focusing on them again, "but I suppose it's possible. Perhaps if the miraculous were damaged, then using it _could_ cause harm to the user."

"Damaged?" Marinette finally spoke up, "But I thought you said the miraculous are indestructible?"

"What?" Master Fu blinked in surprise, "I never said that."

"B-but you told me…" Marinette trailed off, trying to remember what he had _actually_ said.

"No, no," Master Fu corrected her, "I said they are _nearly_ indestructible. The magic that was used to create them also protects them from most harm, like the magic of your suits, but a sufficient amount of force would be able to damage one or, perhaps, even destroy it."

"So if the peacock miraculous were damaged," Adrien reasoned, "the user could get sicker and sicker every time they used it?"

"It is possible, yes," Master Fu agreed, though he didn't sound too certain, "Why do you ask these questions? Is there something I should know?"

"Yeah," Adrien sighed. Marinette could see again the pain in his eyes, that feeling of betrayal as he worried that someone close to him could be his nemesis. "Nathalie, my father's assistant, recently got sick," he explained, his voice soft and his eyes downcast, "It was on Heroes' Day. Then she got sicker, twice, both times right after Mayura appeared again."

"I see," Master Fu said thoughtfully, his expression grave. A brief silence prevailed between them as he seemed to digest this information, considering what to do with it. Finally, he spoke up again, "I know this is difficult for you, Adrien," Master Fu spoke with fatherly compassion, "but this must be investigated. You accepted the mantle of Cat Noir, and now you must do what you can to protect the city. That is your first priority."

"I… know," Adrien answered slowly. Taking a deep breath, he seemed to steel himself, a look of determination coming to his eyes. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Marinette was never more impressed with Adrien than she was at that moment, shoving aside his own interests and preparing himself to do what had to be done. Still, despite the brave face he put on, Marinette could see the sadness in his eyes, the regret as he seemed to watch the world around him grow dark.


	50. Part 3 - Chapter 8

Soon Ladybug and Cat Noir were jumping across the rooftops again. Ladybug suggested they investigate their lead later that evening, or even the next day, but Cat Noir rejected her suggestion. He insisted they go immediately, and his determined look told Ladybug he would not be swayed. She felt he needed more time to process the situation, but he was refusing, and there was no way to force him.

Soon they landed on a rooftop across from the Agreste mansion. Cat Noir was staring at the building with a hard expression, but Ladybug was only watching him, seeing his pained expression, her heart bleeding for the pain he was suffering. He tried to act brave, but the grim frown plastered on his face and the sadness in his eyes betrayed his feelings. She wanted to comfort him, somehow, to help him with this situation, but she didn't even know how to try.

Then there was the unspoken concern that she carried with her, one more grave than Nathalie being Mayura. She wasn't certain Cat Noir had considered it by now, but it was all she could think about. She hated to bring it up, to make the pain worse, but it was better she mention it now to ease the pain later, if she was right. And she was usually right.

"Cat Noir," Ladybug said gently, watching her partner with growing concern, "I know you don't want to hear this, but…" she bit her lip, not wanting to continue, but knowing she must, "Master Fu's theory has always been that the peacock miraculous, spell book, and butterfly miraculous were together. That's what led me to suspect your f-father that time." She watched Cat Noir's reaction, but so far he remained unflinching, not even turning to meet her gaze. "If Nathalie _does_ have the peacock miraculous, and we know the spell book is in your father's possession, then we have to… consider the fact that… he has the butterfly miraculous as well."

Ladybug was forced to remember that day she first suggested Gabriel Agreste as Hawk Moth. She couldn't understand at the time Cat Noir's disturbing reaction to that accusation, but now she understood all too well. She couldn't bring herself to say outright that she again suspected Gabriel of being Hawk Moth, yet she grew more certain of it the more she considered the possibility.

"I… know," Cat Noir answered hesitantly, still not meeting Ladybug's eyes, "I've thought about that already." He looked down for a moment, his shoulders drooping as the sadness seemed to overwhelm him. "After we fought Slither, I heard him shouting at Nathalie about something. I think he must've been warning her _not_ to use the miraculous. That means he knows, and that means he might be…" He let his sentence hang in the air, unable to bring himself to complete it. Watching his expression, it seemed he was as certain of it as Ladybug was.

"I'm… so sorry," Ladybug reached a hand up to Cat Noir's shoulder, trying to comfort him, though nothing she could say would be sufficient, "I… I don't know what to say." Despite herself, she felt tears starting to form.

"Don't," Cat Noir shook his head, "Just… Let's talk to Nathalie first. Let's get to the bottom of this."


	51. Part 3 - Chapter 9

Nathalie wasn't good for much anymore. She could still manage Gabriel's schedule, make some appointments for him, but she couldn't represent him at events anymore, nor could she assist with Adrien. Using the peacock miraculous was a trade-off: she was trying to help Gabriel accomplish his most important goal, but she could no longer help with the day-to-day.

She spent most of her time lying in bed now, conserving her strength, and spending time on her tablet. She looked up from it, sighing, wishing she could do more. As she did, a movement outside her window caught her eye. Before she had a chance to consider what it might be, the figures of Ladybug and Cat Noir came through the open window, landing gracefully at the foot of her bed.

She looked up at them with shock, then worry as she saw their expressions. She tried speaking, but went into a coughing fit before she could get any words out. _Their faces are grim,_ she realized, seeing them walk silently to either side of her bed, _do they know?_ Ladybug had a hard look on her face, but Cat Noir was different. He looked grim, determined, and… angry? His expression scared her the most. He looked like he was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. Clutching her tablet close, she subtly moved her fingers across the screen, quickly muting the sound.

"Ladybug," Nathalie finally spoke up, though her voice was hoarse, raspy, "Cat Noir, what… what are you… doing here?" She could feel the sweat starting to form on her brow. Normally she was calm, collected, able to keep a straight face through anything. Now she was a cripple, lying in bed and staring up at a superhero whose expression twitched with anger. For a moment, it looked like he might even attack her. Keeping her movements hidden behind the tablet, she found the icon to open a voice chat with Gabriel.

"Do you have the peacock miraculous?" Cat Noir asked bluntly.

"What?" Nathalie's eyes went wide in shock. She coughed again, hoping to push off having to answer them. _They do know,_ she could feel her forehead was beaded with sweat now, _but how?_ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the voice chat had been accepted; Gabriel was listening now.

"Where is it?!" Cat Noir yelled, his anger now apparent. There was more to his tone, though. He sounded hurt, betrayed even. Ladybug, however, was turning a worried expression toward him.

"I don't know…" Nathalie began, but Cat Noir cut her off. As Ladybug watched in shock and horror, Cat Noir's claw shot out, roughly grabbing Nathalie's shoulder and pulling her upright. She barely managed to tilt the tablet toward her, ensuring the screen would remain hidden from them.

"I'm not in the mood for games!" Cat Noir growled in her face, a ferocious look of anger and hatred in his eyes, like one ready to kill, "WHERE IS IT?!"

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug scolded him, trying to tame his temper. All Nathalie could see was the mask of rage and sadness in front of her, feel the heat of his heavy breath on her cheek. She wanted to deny it, to protect Gabriel, but looking into those eyes, she felt something inside her break.

"I… I…" Nathalie's voice was shaky; she was no longer in control of anything, all she could do was give them what they wanted and hope for mercy, "I don't have it…"

"Then who does?" Cat Noir had calmed his tone, but his words still carried a deadly threat.

"Mr. Agreste," she blurted out, desperate to escape the crushing grip on her shoulder, "Mr. Agreste has it."

Cat Noir released her finally as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. Nathalie was broken, no longer of any use to anyone. She had failed in all of her duties.

"Where is he?" Cat Noir still spoke with a deadly calm, though this time there was a quiver to his voice that surprised Nathalie. Something had upset him, though she couldn't imagine what.

"His lair…" Nathalie choked out, feeling so overwhelmed she couldn't even speak straight anymore, "Elevator… Buttons in… the portrait." She was breathing heavily and gave in to another coughing fit.

"Come on," Cat Noir spoke with irritation, walking out of the room with Ladybug on his heels. As they left, Nathalie's whole body relaxed into the bed as she began to cry. She lifted the tablet up so her weak voice could be heard.

"I'm sorry, sir," she cried, "They know."

* * *

Gabriel was having a hard time concentrating on his work anymore. Without Nathalie as an assistant, and with his guilt over her condition, he found his attention scattered. As he tried updating the color scheme on his current piece, his phone started vibrating. Looking down, he saw Nathalie was trying to start a voice chat.

"Yes?" he said as he picked up, expecting she needed some assistance. What he heard was _not_ Nathalie's voice.

"Where is it?!" a voice yelled over the call, a strangely familiar voice. _Who could that be?_ Gabriel's brow furrowed, _what's going on?_

"I don't know…" he heard Nathalie speaking now, but the other voice cut her off, speaking harshly.

"I'm not in the mood for games!" the voice growled, "WHERE IS IT?!"

"Cat Noir!" another voice sounded. A chill went down Gabriel's spine as he understood the reason for the call. _They're here,_ he realized, _how? Why?_

"I… I…" Nathalie's voice was shaky, "I don't have it…"

Gabriel didn't waste another minute. He couldn't blame Nathalie for breaking, not in her state, but now he had to get away. Shoving the phone in his pocket, he turned and activated his secret elevator.

He heard the rest of the conversation muffled from his pocket as he ascended into his secret lair. _What am I going to do?_ he wondered, _I could akumatize someone! That will distract them, they'll have to stop my villain and they'll leave me alone._

"I'm sorry, sir," Nathalie's voice came through, choked with tears, "They know."

"Dark wings rise!" Gabriel declared, calling Nooroo into his miraculous. His powers came to him, the familiarity of them comforting. He always felt more confident like this. _Yes, I'll find someone to akumatize,_ he closed his eyes as he started to concentrate, _there has to be…_ A smirk spread across his face as he found his victim. _Perfect._


	52. Part 3 - Chapter 10

"What was that?!" Ladybug yelled at Cat Noir as she entered the office after him. It was empty, even though this was the room where, supposedly, Gabriel kept himself locked up all day.

"I was getting information," Cat Noir answered irritably, stalking over to the picture of Mrs. Agreste – Adrien's mother – on the far wall.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face her, "I… I have no idea how you're feeling right now," she admitted, "but if we want to get through this, you can't do it with anger. I _need_ you, as Cat Noir. You have to try and keep it together."

"I know," Cat Noir sighed, "but I can't just… shut if off!" Cat Noir grew visibly more frustrated as he vented, "How can I… I don't even know… How did this happen?!"

"I don't know," Ladybug answered quietly, "but you don't have to go through it alone. I'm here for you, we can get through this, together." On a whim, she reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, hoping to provide comfort and encouragement.

"Thank you," Cat Noir's expression softened considerably, though the tension and anger were still evident, "Together. We'll do this together."

Cat Noir turned to the portrait and started searching for any manner of "button", like Nathalie said. Finally, his hands seemed to find a few oddities in the otherwise smooth picture. He rested his fingers on all of them at once and pressed in.

A circular panel twisted open practically right under his feet. Ladybug saw it and immediately jumped forward to stand on it with Cat Noir, holding herself close to him. Suddenly the platform descended, the panel twisting shut over their heads as they squeezed through the tight hole together.

At first, they were plunged into darkness. Then a light came on nearby, blindingly bright for a moment. They were in a small room in the basement with a door in front of them and what looked like another elevator just a few steps away. Silently, they walked over to it, squeezing again onto the tight space as Cat Noir reached for the single button on the wall beside them.

"Are you ready?" Ladybug asked right before he hit the button. His hand faltered.

"Yeah," he said, trying to sound determined. He pressed the button and held on tight to Ladybug as they were suddenly thrust up toward the ceiling.

Another circular opening twisted open to permit them through. This elevator went higher, high enough it felt like it must go to the roof. Another portal opened above them, dim light pouring down from above as they rose rapidly. Soon they came out into a wide, circular chamber. All around the room, they were surrounded by white butterflies, lending an oddly serene feeling to the place.

In front of them, though, was what held their attention. Standing there with his cane held firmly between his hands and resting on the ground, his metallic-colored mask covering most of his face, wearing a prim, fashionable suit, and the brooch of the butterfly displayed prominently on his sternum, was none other than Hawk Moth. Standing with the light from the butterfly-shaped window behind him made him an imposing sight, the master of his lair, the final boss.

He looked like he was expecting them. He was watching them as they ascended into his lair and stepped off the elevator, a confident grin on his face. Yet Ladybug could see the hint of worry in his eyes, the uncertainty and frustration that could be discerned in the tight grip on his staff. He knew as well as they did that this was the end. His cover was blown, and he couldn't hide from them anymore. One way or another, it would all end right here. This was the final showdown.


	53. Part 3 - Chapter 11

There he was. There could be no more doubt in Adrien's mind that it was true: Hawk Moth was his own father. _How many people have nearly died because of him,_ he found himself seething with anger, _how many times has he nearly killed_ me _? And all for what?!_

Cat Noir's anger was so strong he could hardly contain it. He knew he had to be in control if they were going to win this fight, going off the handle was not going to help. Ladybug needed him to work together with her, using their amazing teamwork like they always did, if they were going to have a chance, but Cat Noir wasn't sure if he could do that.

"I don't know how you found me," Hawk Moth finally spoke up, his voice rough and harsh, "but it doesn't matter. Now I will take your miraculous myself, and my wish will be fulfilled."

 _That voice._ Though Cat Noir had heard it before, now he could hear the familiar tone to it. His father's voice speaking with condescendence was not an unfamiliar sound to him, it almost seemed fitting to hear it coming from his arch-nemesis. He growled to himself as he lifted his right hand, regarding it curiously. Regarding the ring, and the power of destruction it contained.

"It's over now," Cat Noir finally spoke up, his voice a deadly calm, barely containing his anger, "Just give up now, or…" He hesitated, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Or what?" Hawk Moth sneered, "You couldn't beat me last time, what makes you think this time will be different?"

"Or," Cat Noir went on, allowing his hatred and anger to finally form itself into what he was really thinking, "I'll finally find out what happens when I use my cataclysm on a person."

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug shouted, her voice horrified, "How can you say that?!"

Cat Noir ignored her, still focusing on his ring. After so many years of cold apathy toward him, making his life miserable and lonely, Cat Noir found he had no more love for the man he once called his father. Any love he once had left an empty void that now filled only with hatred. He would save this city from the menace that was his father, and save himself from him as well. Once and for all.

"We shall see," Hawk Moth's expression was grim, "We shall see."

* * *

Ladybug's first instinct was to glance at Cat Noir. _I'm so sorry, Adrien,_ was what she wanted to say, but she held her tongue, looking at him with great concern. He had a fierce, determined look in his eye, and it scared her. The anger was still there, as well, and it looked like he was not containing it well.

Looking ahead of her to their enemy, she was startled by how similar their expressions were. Hawk Moth also wore a mask of grim determination, unwilling to yield despite the circumstances. He would fight to the bitter end, and they already knew from experience that he was a formidable opponent.

"I don't know how you found me," Hawk Moth finally spoke up, his voice rough and harsh, "but it doesn't matter. Now I will take your miraculous myself, and my wish will be fulfilled."

Hearing him for the first time since discovering his true identity, Ladybug was amazed how she hadn't noticed it before. Despite the way he spoke in deeper, harsher tones, his voice was easy to recognize. She had heard Gabriel Agreste speak often enough to know his voice. She had so many questions, and so much regret for Adrien's sake, but that had to wait.

"It's over now," Cat Noir spoke up, his voice, once again, a deadly calm as his barely contained anger bubbled beneath the surface, "Just give up now, or…" He hesitated, holding up his right hand and regarding it curiously.

"Or what?" Hawk Moth mocked them, growing more confident, "You couldn't beat me last time, what makes you think this time will be different?"

"Or," Adrien ignored the comment, continuing where he left off, "I'll finally find out what happens when I use my cataclysm on a person."

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug shouted, gripped by shock and fear, "How can you say that?!" _This is your father, Adrien!_ she found herself shouting internally, _you don't want to do this!_

"We shall see," Hawk Moth sounded unimpressed, though his frown had deepened and his worry seemed to return, "We shall see."


	54. Part 3 - Chapter 12

Cat Noir leapt forward recklessly, holding his staff at the ready. His anger was reaching its peak and he couldn't hold back anymore. Though he knew it was irrational, he felt it was his responsibility to take care of his father and get rid of him for good. He was going to do whatever it took to stop him, once and for all.

He swung his staff with all his strength, but Hawk Moth parried the blow. He attacked again and again, swinging wildly, but each time Hawk Moth deflected it. Cat Noir's frustration grew as he growled with anger, trying to force his way past his opponent's defenses with raw strength. As they fought, he barely noticed brief flashes of Ladybug's yoyo flying out, attempting to restrain Hawk Moth, but he was too fast. Just like when they fought on the Eiffel Tower, he was too fast and too strong even for both of them combined.

Ladybug closed in, but Hawk Moth managed to clock her in the face with his staff, sending her skidding back. Cat Noir tried to capitalize on the opening, but not fast enough. A fist connected with his gut, hitting him so hard he went flying into the air. He felt his back slam against the wall as his grip on his staff loosened, falling to the ground with a clatter.

With his opponents shoved aside for the moment, Hawk Moth jumped halfway across the room and turned back to face them. As the heroes tried to recollect themselves, Hawk Moth flipped open the crystal at the top of his cane, then reached his hand in, as though pressing a series of buttons.

"I have some gifts for you," he said with a cruel grin, "and when they're done with you, you won't be able to stop me from taking your miraculous!"

Large panels slid open in the walls on either side, revealing an array of frightening looking weapons. The weapons turned, focused on the two heroes, and fired. Missiles came flying out at them, tearing through the clouds of butterflies still filling the room.

* * *

Hawk Moth jumped away from the heroes after sending them both flying. As he leapt, he grabbed a butterfly out of the air, clutching it tight in his left hand. He was a lot more experienced than the young heroes; even without his powers or tricks, they were no match for him. Still, he couldn't take any chances and had to end this quickly. He flipped open the crystal on his staff, revealing the screen inside, to activate his defense systems.

"I have some gifts for you," he spoke with confidence, "and when they're done with you, you won't be able to stop me from taking your miraculous!"

All the while, he remained focused on his selected target. _The anger in him is so powerful,_ he told himself, _so wild and untamed! He'll be a perfect victim!_ Unfortunately, sometimes the potential victim's emotions were so muddled, it was hard for him to get a clear picture of what caused the negative emotion. This was the case now, as anger was only the most prevalent emotion, but the jumble of regret, depression, disappointment, and other emotions was causing a mess of his thought process, making it impossible to determine what exactly was troubling him.

 _I'll just have to guess,_ he decided. Normally, knowing what caused the emotions gave him an in to break the victim's will. In this case, he would have to rely on his silver tongue to break through. As the missiles of his defense system began to fire, he infused the butterfly in his hand with dark energy, creating an akuma. Now it was just a matter of finding the right moment.

* * *

"Watch out!" Ladybug shouted as the missiles began to fire. She lashed out with her yoyo to deflect two of the rockets while Cat Noir pulled himself back to his feet. "Cat Noir!" she turned to him briefly, "I need you to focus! I know this is hard for you, but…"

"No!" Cat Noir yelled in response, his face a mask of agony, sorrow, and rage, "I'll deal with him myself!" Ignoring the next barrage of missiles coming at them, Cat Noir leapt forward, heading straight for Hawk Moth. Their opponent watched with smugness, holding his cane at the ready in his right hand, his left hand clenched into a fist.

Ladybug didn't have time to think about it, but something about that clenched fist bothered her. She deflected another barrage of missiles, lashing out to stop some from hitting Cat Noir as well, while trying to move closer. _We need to work together!_ she told herself, _I_ have _to get him back to his senses!_

She saw Cat Noir leap into the air, his staff clutched in both hands over his head, ready to crack it down on Hawk Moth's skull. Hawk Moth seemed to step forward, as though walking _into_ the attack, and brought up his clenched fist. Everything seemed to slow down as Ladybug realized what was wrong about it.

 _Oh no,_ she began to panic, leaping forward desperately, yoyo flying forward, ignoring the latest barrage of missiles coming at her, _an akuma!_

Hawk Moth's fist opened just before colliding with Cat Noir's arm, releasing the akuma into the air. As Cat Noir fell, enveloped by rage, so consumed by it he was blinded by his opponent's machinations, the akuma touched the ring on his finger and was absorbed.


	55. Part 3 - Chapter 13

An odd, cold sensation washed over Cat Noir. He wasn't sure what happened at first, but he knew Ladybug was shouting at him. _What is this feeling?_

Then came the voice, spoken directly into his mind. Though he knew the source of it was only a couple feet in front of him, it sounded like it was inside him. Hawk Moth. Cat Noir had been hit by an akuma.

"Cat Noir," the voice dominated Cat Noir's thoughts, cutting through all the anger and grief, driving him mad, "Why do you resist me? Why do you fight me? You can use that anger for something else."

"NO!" Cat Noir shouted back, clutching at his head, trying to drive the voice away. He couldn't focus on what was around him anymore, but it sounded like Ladybug and Hawk Moth were still fighting. Cat Noir was breathing heavily, trying to steel himself, to shove away the influence.

"I'm not the one you're angry with," Hawk Moth's voice came again, "It's Ladybug. _She_ always gets all the credit, _she's_ the one everyone loves. No one thinks you're anything compared to _her_. Nobody loves _you_!"

Hawk Moth's words but deep. It sounded so true, like something he knew all along, but refused to admit. _That's right,_ Cat Noir felt his resolve slipping, _it's always been all about Ladybug, no one has ever cared for me. No one!_

Then another voice pierced through his muddled thoughts as his will broke, a voice that spoke with such warmth and conviction, it reached him even as he felt himself ready to give way to the akuma's influence. It was Ladybug's voice, calling out to him, trying to reach him before it was too late.

"That's not true!" he heard her shouting, her voice desperate, but it sounded sweet and warm, "Everyone loves you! I… I love you!"

As the darkness of the akuma began to consume him, Cat Noir felt a renewed spark of vigor from deep within. _Ladybug… loves me?_ he wondered. His own internal voice sounded so weak and pathetic, smothered by Hawk Moth's power, but he felt his strength returning. His will, shattered by depression and anger, was being restored. His eyes began to refocus, seeing the world around him once more. The cold sensation began to recede, replaced by a warmth Cat Noir feared he would never feel. _Ladybug loves me!_ he told himself, _everyone loves me! The only one that never loved me is… father._

* * *

"NO!" Ladybug shouted, leaping forward and striking at Hawk Moth, trying to distract him, "Cat Noir, you have to fight it!"

Cat Noir landed on the ground and stumbled, dropping his staff as he clutched at his head. His teeth were clenched, emitting a low growl as he tried to fight off the influence. Ladybug knew firsthand how difficult that was. Even with a strong will, it was nearly impossible to resist the temptation of Hawk Moth's honeyed words.

"Cat Noir," Hawk Moth spoke aloud, though Ladybug knew those words were driven directly into Cat Noir's head, "Why do you resist me? Why do you fight me? You can use that anger for something else."

"NO!" Cat Noir was shouting, trying to resist.

Ladybug attacked again, doing whatever she could to distract Hawk Moth, prevent him from speaking to Cat Noir. The missiles had stopped firing, which gave her some breathing space, but now she was in a desperate one-on-one with Cat Noir's allegiance on the line. It worked for but a brief moment, but she was thrust back again, giving Hawk Moth the opportunity to speak again.

"I'm not the one you're angry with," Hawk Moth said, speaking with conviction, "It's Ladybug. _She_ always gets all the credit, _she's_ the one everyone loves. No one thinks you're anything compared to _her_. Nobody loves _you_!"

"That's not true!" Ladybug shouted, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she tried to silence Hawk Moth, "Everyone loves you! I… I love you!"

Ladybug was breathing heavily as she made her declaration of love, looking to Cat Noir with compassion, desperation, and love. She watched him closely, seeing the change coming over him slowly. His eyes seemed to refocus, and his whole body relaxed. She found herself smiling, heart beating furiously as she witnessed what she hoped was his restored will to fight the akuma off. Hawk Moth's expression, on the other hand, showed sudden shock and, oddly, a sense of understanding. The room seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Then Cat Noir stood up straight and spoke, his voice strong and confident again. "No," he said with a growl, "No, I won't listen to you anymore. You can't order me about anymore!" With a yell of defiance, the akuma was thrust out of his ring, flying free once again. Hawk Moth looked taken aback, uncertain how to cope with this development.

Ladybug quickly whipped out her yoyo and caught the akuma before it could do any harm. Cat Noir, in the meantime, was charging forward again, his right hand reaching out for Hawk Moth. The villain was still in shock, unable to recover his wits in time to dodge.

"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir shouted as his hand lunged forward. Ladybug felt a chill run down her spine as she was consumed by dread, realizing what was happening. _No,_ she cried inside, _don't do this…_ She readied her yoyo to grab his arm, but too late. Before she could react or Hawk Moth could dodge, the power of destruction enveloping Cat Noir's hand struck the villain in the chest.


	56. Part 3 - Chapter 14

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug felt on the verge of tears as she witnessed the most brutal murder. A son driven to rage by his father, only to take his revenge in the most horrifying way. Except that Hawk Moth wasn't dead. Instead of disintegrating, Ladybug watched in shock as his transformation dropped, giving way to the familiar and expected form of Gabriel Agreste. Cat Noir pulled his hand away, his fist clenched, then opened it. The broken pieces of the butterfly miraculous clattered against the tile floor.

Ladybug felt like a huge weight lift off her as she realized what happened. She was so scared for that brief moment that Cat Noir – Adrien, the boy she loved – had just murdered his own father. Despite all that had happened, she never would've wanted it to end that way.

Cat Noir still maintained a frown of disapproval, as though he looked upon something disgusting. Gabriel, no longer empowered by the miraculous, was just a man again, and he looked broken. The former arch-villain fell to his knees, looking in horror at the broken miraculous, and – surprisingly – began to cry. Cat Noir said nothing, just looked down in contempt at the man that knelt before him.

"Let's go," Cat Noir said, turning away from the pitiful sight. Ladybug couldn't help but feel some sorrow seeing the man like that, though she knew it was misplaced. After all the havoc he had caused throughout the city, turning her own friends and family into supervillains, this man was least deserving of pity out of anyone in the city.

* * *

A wave of energy washed over Gabriel as his transformation dropped. He had seen his life flash before his eyes, but he was still alive. Momentarily confused, he understood what happened as Cat Noir dropped the shattered miraculous of the butterfly to the floor. It was over, he had lost.

As the weight of his failure descended on him, Gabriel fell to his knees, tears springing to his eyes. He looked to the broken miraculous, seeing in it his ultimate failure. His one true love, lost to him forever, with any hope of ever having her again now shattered to pieces in front of him. He watched as Ladybug scooped up the remains of his miraculous and turned to leave.

Gabriel was a man that liked to be in control. In the last few weeks, he felt completely out of control. All of his plans, gone awry; his only son hardly spoke with him; his trusted assistant and only real friend was slipping away, possibly forever; and now the last thread of hope to reconnect him with his wife was gone. Gabriel was a broken man, given over now to tears and sorrow. As he began to cry, he choked out the words, "I'm sorry, Emilie."

* * *

Cat Noir felt a twang of pain as he heard the name uttered. He turned back toward his fallen nemesis, now wrapped up in sorrow, just as his ring sounded its first _beep_.

"What did you say?" he demanded, his tone harsh but also trepidatious.

"My wife, Emilie," his father explained, looking up through tear-soaked eyes, "Everything I did, I did for her."

Cat Noir heard Ladybug gasp, as though understanding suddenly struck her. Her sharp mind had reached a conclusion that Cat Noir was still searching for as he tried to maintain his grasp on reality. _What does mom have to do with all this?_ he wondered, frustrated that he was missing something that should be obvious.

"What do you mean?" Cat Noir demanded with a sense of urgency, uncertain what to feel or think anymore.

"My Emilie," his father looked crestfallen, "she fell into a coma from using a broken miraculous. The only way to save her is… with the wish, using the Ladybug and Cat Noir miraculous."

"You mean she isn't missing?" Cat Noir's eyes went wide, reeling from this revelation, "Where is she?!" He took a few steps forward, standing right over his father, practically shouting at him as he did.

"She's here," he answered, no longer crying, but now looking alarmed at Cat Noir's tone, "I've kept her close so I could take care of her."

"Take us there," Cat Noir demanded, "Now."


	57. Part 3 - Chapter 15

One by one, the three of the took the elevator back down. Ladybug came down first, hoping Cat Noir had contained himself long enough to leave Gabriel unharmed without supervision. Soon they were back in the small, basement room, the elevator back to the office beside them, and a set of double doors before them. _That must be where she is,_ Ladybug told herself, _how could he have kept this a secret for so long?_

Gabriel led the way, his entire body slumped, defeated. He opened the doors and stepped forward into a dark room. His footsteps echoed on a metal floor as Cat Noir's ring let out another _beep_. Cat Noir marched forward, his eyes betraying no emotion. He looked as though there was too much to process and he didn't know what to feel anymore. Ladybug walked beside him, concerned.

As they proceeded forward, lights began to light up on either wall, illuminating the vast chamber. They were walking across a metal walkway, suspended over what looked like green pipes, toward a platform at the opposite end. Finally, the last light on the ceiling above turned on as they reached the end of the walkway, showing them what they had come to see.

There she was: Emilie. She lay in peaceful repose in a glass coffin, held up at an incline. Surrounding her final resting place were a number of plants, vibrant with life, creating an odd juxtaposition of life and death. At first, Ladybug couldn't be certain if she was alive or not, but as she took a couple cautious steps forward, she could only just make out the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She was still alive, but barely.

Ladybug turned to Cat Noir, feeling uncertain. He was standing right in front of the coffin, reaching out a tentative hand, the ring on it _beep_ ing once again. This whole time, she was certain that whatever wish Hawk Moth wanted to make, it had to be some terrible evil, yet all along it was the machinations of a broken heart, its only desire to be made whole again. Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, suddenly remorseful for the pain of her nemesis.

* * *

"All I wanted," Gabriel spoke up, kneeling on the ground just behind Ladybug and Cat Noir, his whole body shaking, "was to be with my Emilie again. Was for us to be… a family again…"

Cat Noir's fist clenched, his mouth tightening to a thin line. Gabriel could tell he was very troubled, but he still couldn't fathom why. He could barely see the profile of the young hero's face as he seemed to be struggling with a decision. _What could be bothering him so much?_ Gabriel wondered. Despite the sorrow he was dealing with in the wake of his defeat, he found himself transfixed by Cat Noir's perplexing reaction to the most recent revelation.

"Cat Noir," Ladybug said softly, reaching a hand up to his shoulder. Her words caught in her throat, though, uncertain what to say. Gabriel saw the look in her eyes, the softness of her touch, and understood that she truly did love him. Now he understood her fervor the day she fought Binder, when love blazed in her eyes. That day, she must've learned Cat Noir's identity, and it was someone she loved.

"I…" Cat Noir said hesitantly, his gaze still fixed on the coffin, "I want to make the wish."

Gabriel's breath caught in his throat. _He wants to make the wish?_ Maybe not all hope was lost after all. For whatever reason, it seemed Cat Noir wanted Emilie back as much as he did. _But why? It can't be…_

"What!" Ladybug sounded shocked, clearly not on board with her partner's decision, "We can't, you know that!"

"Yes, we can!" Cat Noir turned toward Ladybug, his face a mix of confused emotions and thoughts, "We have the miraculous, we can make the wish!" His voice was rising in desperation, nearly shouting.

"No!" Ladybug was almost shouting back at him, trying to get him to see reason, "There's always a price to pay when you make a wish!"

"I don't care!" Cat Noir was shouting now, his hands gripping Ladybug by the shoulders, "I just want my mother back!"

 _Mother?_ Gabriel looked up at Cat Noir in shock. _It can't be… No…_ He studied the face of the young boy closely now, seeing it softened by grief, and began to see for the first time the familiarity in it. He had suspected once that Adrien could be Cat Noir, but then he saw the two of them together and dropped his concerns. _Did I, though?_ he realized, _I saw Cat Noir with a boy wearing a helmet. He fooled me! It_ is _him, it's been him all along!_ Suddenly his escapes, lack of focus on his studies, constant running from his bodyguard… it all made sense.

"We can't," Ladybug sounded almost regretful as she spoke, but forceful, "Someone else would end up in a coma!"

"I don't care!" Cat Noir insisted.

"It could be you!" Ladybug shouted back.

"I DON'T CARE!" Cat Noir's eyes were now flooded with tears, blinking them away as he shouted.

"Yes, you do!" Ladybug shouted back, "You're not Hawk Moth, you're better than that! You can't hurt someone else for your own needs. You're not that selfish!"

Cat Noir looked down toward Gabriel for a moment, considering him. Gabriel suddenly felt ashamed. _How many times have I harmed him? Tried to kill him even? My own son… No, he's not like me at all._

"You're right," Cat Noir sighed, his hands still gripping Ladybug's shoulders, now trembling from the throes of despair, "but I miss her, Marinette."

 _Marinette… the girl Adrien went on a date with…_ This last piece of information seemed to fit perfectly as well. The one time Ladybug never showed up was the time Marinette was akumatized, why didn't he think of it before? _This whole time I've been trying to kill my own son… and the girl he loves._

"I know," Ladybug whispered. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms comfortingly around Cat Noir's head. He leaned in to her, resting his head on her shoulder, and continued to cry. Watching them, Gabriel realized for the first time that he had been trying to destroy their love in order to restore his own. He realized now that, more than his loss at the hands of Ladybug and Cat Noir, that was his greatest failure.


	58. Part 3 - Chapter 16

While Ladybug comforted him, Cat Noir's ring sounded its last _beep_. Standing there together, Cat Noir's transformation dropped, leaving Adrien wrapped up in Ladybug's embrace. _It doesn't matter anymore,_ Ladybug told herself, aware of Gabriel's presence, _It's over now._ Finally, Adrien pulled away from her, his tears stopped for now.

"Now what?" he asked, looking to Ladybug for guidance, as he often had.

"We can't do anything for your mother, Adrien," Ladybug told him sorrowfully, "but if her sickness was caused by the miraculous, then maybe…" she paused, glancing back at Gabriel, who was staring at the two of them with a sorrowful expression, "maybe there's someone who can."

"Yeah," Adrien nodded, understanding, his tone soft now, "Why don't you get him? I'm… going to stay here."

"You mean the guardian?" Gabriel asked suddenly, getting to his feet and looking to Ladybug with a glimmer of hope, "You think he can help Emilie?"

 _How does he know about Master Fu?_ Ladybug wondered. "Maybe, I don't know," she said, "You wait here." Before she left, she turned to Plagg, hovering beside his owner with an uncharacteristic, compassionate look on his face. "Take care of Adrien for me, Plagg," she added.

"I will," Plagg called after her, the normal humor gone from his voice.

* * *

Adrien watched Ladybug run back down the walkway, leaving him alone with his father… and his mother. Plagg was there as well, offering a comforting paw on Adrien's shoulder, but saying nothing. He continued to stand there, just staring into space, long after the door shut behind Ladybug.

"Adrien," a shaky voice spoke up from beside him. Shaking himself to, Adrien looked up at his father, standing now, looking at him with as much pain as Adrien felt. He wasn't ready to talk to him though, not yet. He looked away, saying nothing.

"Son," the voice spoke up again, "I'm… sorry… for everything."

Adrien looked to his father again, seeing not the man, but the mask of Hawk Moth. He saw again the villains that ran rampant across the city, the people who were nearly killed, the times he nearly died, all by the hand of his own father. He couldn't feel anything but disgust and contempt.

"And that just fixes everything?" Adrien scowled at him, "After everything you've done?"

"I did it all for your mother, Adrien!" Gabriel nearly shouted back, gesturing toward the coffin, "I just wanted to bring her back."

"You tried to kill me!" Adrien shouted at him, "A lot!"

"I didn't know it was you!" Gabriel retorted, visibly upset by the notion of his son dying by his own hand.

"You tried killing other people!" Adrien wouldn't relent, "You've terrorized this city! Is this really what mother would have wanted?!"

"Nothing is permanent," his father defended himself, "I was going to use the Ladybug earrings to restore everything."

"Right, sure," Adrien crossed his arms, "That doesn't make it okay." He turned away from his father, looking back to the serene image of his mother's face, silently observing their argument. Looking at it seemed to soften him, as though he couldn't be angry knowing she was there.

"I didn't know what else to do!" his father still trying to justify his actions, yet there was the slightest hint of regret, "I had no way of getting the miraculous without using my own to force them into use, so I could seize them. I had no way of finding them otherwise."

"There has to have been a better way," Adrien said softly, the anger gone from his voice, replaced instead by disappointment.

"If I had known it was you," Gabriel's expression was downcast as he said this, "I never would have… I never wanted you to get hurt. I love you, son. I wanted you to be safe and happy."

Adrien regarded his father. He looked genuinely remorseful for how things turned out. Adrien wasn't ready to accept his apology, not after all he had done. He wasn't sure if he would ever be ready. Even knowing his motives, somehow that only made it worse. Becoming a mass murderer and terrorist to get mom back? Adrien wanted to be with his mother again, more than almost anything else in the world, but he would never have considered going _that_ far to do it. Motives aside, his father's actions were inexcusable. The ends do not justify the means.

"If you wanted me to be happy," he said finally, "then maybe you should've been paying attention to someone besides yourself." With that, Adrien turned and walked back up the walkway, leaving his father behind.


	59. Part 3 - Chapter 17

Ladybug leapt out the office window, swinging across the rooftops. She passed by her school, realizing that class had started a while ago, but she had been too focused on more important matters to care. Hopefully, this would be the last time she needed to come up with an excuse for her absence.

She made it to Master Fu's in record time, barging in almost before he answered.

"Marinette!" he exclaimed as she entered, seeing the look on her face, "What happened? Is everything all right?"

"We… Hawk Moth… Mother… Coffin!" Marinette stammered, waving her arms wildly in the air. She had so much to tell she wasn't certain where to begin.

"Calm down, Marinette!" Master Fu censured her, "Start from the beginning."

"Okay," Marinette took a deep breath, then briefly related all they had learned. She told Master Fu about how they found the secret lair, the battle with Hawk Moth, and then the secret Gabriel had been harboring and the wish he wanted to make. Master Fu listened with a grave expression, keeping his peace until the whole story had been told. When she finished, he looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.

"So, do you think you can heal her?" Marinette asked hopefully. She knew he had powers beyond the miraculous, that was how he was able to heal Tikki when she was sick, but could he do more than that? The two kwamis in the room hovered nearby, waiting anxiously to hear the response.

"I do not know," the guardian admitted finally, "When you first told me someone might be sick from using a broken miraculous, I looked through some of my books on healing, and did find a brief passage on the topic. I am willing to try it, but I am afraid it will not work on someone who has already slipped so far."

"Oh," Marinette looked down, forlorn, "So there's no way Adrien can have his mother back without using the wish?"

"I believe so," Master Fu answered, his voice heavy with regret, "but I can still try. No need to give up hope yet."

"All right, I'll take you to Adrien's," Marinette got up, offering a hand to Master Fu.

"I can get there fine on my own," Master Fu said with a smile, "Do not forget I have a miraculous as well." With a smile, he lifted his arm to show off his bracelet while declaring, "Wayzz, shell on!"

* * *

Adrien stalked out of the office and into the main hall, sitting on the stairs with a downcast gaze. Everything had gone so wrong, he didn't know where to begin to sort his feelings out. His father was a supervillain, his mother was a miraculous holder, and now he felt both were lost to him forever. Father had always been cold and distant, but not like he had been since last summer. Now he understood why.

 _What's going to happen now?_ he found himself wondering. He always assumed that once they took the miraculous from Hawk Moth, everything else would be easy. The miraculous would be returned to Master Fu to be kept safe, Hawk Moth would be shipped off to jail, and he and Ladybug would finally reveal their identities to one another and were free to be together. Sure, Master Fu would get the miraculous, but the rest of that didn't seem so obvious anymore.

Did Adrien really want to see his father put in jail? They couldn't go back to life as usual, not after this. Both father _and_ Nathalie would be put away, and that would leave Adrien all alone, more alone than he'd ever been before in his life. Even if they kept this a secret and didn't hand them over to the police, Adrien couldn't imagine living at home with them anymore. His life as he knew it was over.

He wasn't even sure what would happen with him and Marinette in the end. After the tumultuous few weeks they had, despite what she said, he wasn't sure if they would ever end up together. The one person he cared about most, and he was afraid she would leave him, too. The only one he still had left was Plagg.

The little kwami was floating nearby, watching his owner with sad eyes. Plagg was no good at comforting, so for the moment he kept a respectful silence, but looked ready to do anything to cheer his owner back up. Adrien considered transforming again and running away somewhere, but he didn't know where he could go.

With a sigh, he finally broke the silence, muttering to himself, "Is there anything left for me?"


	60. Part 3 - Chapter 18

Ladybug landed in front of the Agreste mansion, the transformed Master Fu beside her. He quickly dropped the transformation, once again becoming the unassuming, elderly man he usually was. The two of them strode in together.

Adrien was sitting on the staircase in the entry hall. He was looking upset, though that was understandable. Plagg was floating nearby, trying to comfort him. Adrien looked up when the two of them entered the room, giving a brief smile as he stood.

"Master Fu," he said, "Do you think you can bring my mother back?" His eyes were kindled with hope, temporarily dispelling the melancholy.

"I can not guarantee anything," Master Fu sighed, "I can only try."

Adrien seemed to accept this response, recognizing the lack of confidence Master Fu had. He stood silently as Ladybug led Master Fu into the office. There they descended the elevator and returned to the hidden, underground chamber. Gabriel was still there, standing before the coffin, seeming to be talking to his lost wife. He turned as they approached.

"You!" Gabriel said in surprise, recognizing the elderly master, "You're the guardian?"

"Yes, I am," Master Fu's expression was hard to read as he looked up at the villain he had sought to defeat, "Please move aside that I may work."

"So, can you heal her?" Gabriel looked hopeful as he let the short man pass. The similarity between his and Adrien's expressions was uncanny.

"I make no promises," Master Fu sat down and began to prepare the healing ritual. He had brought with him his gong, a number of herbs, scented candles, and incense sticks. When he healed Tikki, he didn't use all this, but he was attempting something much more serious this time.

"Ladybug, can you bring me the missing miraculous while I prepare the ritual?" he glanced up at her, "I will not begin until both are in my possession."

"Yes, master," Ladybug nodded, then turned to Gabriel, "Please give me the peacock miraculous."

There was a brief flicker of defiance in Gabriel's eyes, but then he sighed and reached inside his jacket, reluctantly producing the peacock miraculous. Ladybug took it from him with a smile and handed it to Master Fu. The elderly master looked at it with an expression of relief.

"Now for the butterfly," Ladybug smirked. She reached into the container space of her yoyo, pulling out the broken pieces of the shattered miraculous, before activating her miraculous ladybugs. Soon the familiar wave of warmth washed over her as they restored all the damage from the recent battle, including the last miraculous. For the first time, Ladybug held the restored brooch of the butterfly.

Ladybug focused on the miraculous, calling force the kwami contained inside. There was a purplish light as a kwami with butterfly wings materialized beside her. Nooroo looked surprised at first, but upon seeing Ladybug's smile, his face immediately brightened.

"Ladybug!" he shouted in joy, "You've saved me!"

"Yeah," Ladybug nodded, "It's all over now."

Nooroo looked around, seeing first his old master standing there, watching with a sad expression. The kwami seemed to cower instinctually under that gaze, but then shook himself out of it, looking defiant. He knew he was no longer under Gabriel's control; he was free. Then he turned and saw the elderly guardian watching him.

"So good to see you again, Nooroo," Master Fu smiled, looking even more relieved as he took the last miraculous from Ladybug.

"Master Fu!" Nooroo exclaimed, "You're so old now!"

Master Fu couldn't help but laugh, overjoyed at being reunited with the kwami after so long. "Yes, I suppose I am older than the last time you saw me," he admitted, "We can talk more later, for now, I think you should rest." Nooroo gratefully returned to the miraculous at Master Fu's command.

"Now I will begin the ritual," Master Fu's expression turned solemn again as he addressed Gabriel, "You may stay and watch, or return upstairs, it does not matter to me."


	61. Part 3 - Chapter 19

Master Fu tried performing a number of rituals, each time using a different combination of candles, spices, and incense, using every incantation and technique he knew, but nothing he did seemed to make any difference. Ladybug watched sadly over the next hour as every attempt he made failed. There was no change in Emilie's condition; she remained lost in her coma.

"I am sorry," Master Fu said finally, "There is nothing more I can do."

Gabriel's expression, which had maintained the slightest spark of hope for a time, was now completely dejected. He seemed to finally come to terms with the fact that his wife was gone for good. It was strange seeing this man, once so strong and proud, now broken so utterly.

"Come," Master Fu gathered up his belongings and started down the metal walkway, "We have something to discuss, and I think Adrien should be present as well."

Gabriel lingered for a moment, giving one last look at Emilie, before slowly following Master Fu and Ladybug out of the room. Thinking of Adrien, Ladybug was filled with sorrow. _He finally found his mother again, just to lose her right away._

Soon they made their way back into the grand foyer, finding Adrien still sitting on the stairs. He looked up when they walked in, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, then despondency as he saw his mother was not with them. Ladybug felt a stab of pain in her heart, joining him in his sorrow, upon seeing his face. She almost wanted to use the wish after all, but she knew that they couldn't. They had been entrusted with the responsibility of the miraculous they carried. They couldn't recklessly use them for their personal gain, no matter how tempting it was.

"I am sorry, Adrien," Master Fu sighed, his eyes downcast. Adrien said nothing, just continued to stare at the floor. "There is something else important you should know," Master Fu went on, addressing both Adrien and Gabriel, "I could sense her life force, and it is ebbing away. She will not live for long."

Master Fu's pronouncement was met by shocked gasps from all parties in the room – except for Plagg, who was looking to Adrien with uncharacteristic concern. "But…" Gabriel stuttered, refusing to accept the possibility, "the device I had built sustains her. She can live like that for years."

"Perhaps she could have," Master Fu regarded him with pity, "but her coma is only a prelude to her passing. The device has sustained her longer than she would have lived, but it is not going to much longer. Within a few months time, I am afraid she will be gone."

"No," Gabriel looked down, distraught, "Emilie…"

Adrien remained silent, staring blankly at the ground. Everything that had happened over the last few hours would've been a lot to digest if he had been given a year to process it all, but to have it come at him so fast? It was nothing short of traumatic.

"At least I will see if I can do anything for your assistant," Master Fu said finally, "If you would show me to her."

Gabriel wandered away up the stairs, half in a daze, and led Master Fu away. Ladybug watched them go, Wayzz floating slowly behind them. She wasn't needed by Master Fu anymore, the only thing she could hope to accomplish was to provide Adrien with a shoulder to cry on.

"Spots off," she said softly, feeling the magic wash off her. Tikki appeared, her big, blue eyes showing that she shared in the sorrow of her owner. Without a word, Marinette sat beside Adrien, gently reaching for his hand.

At first, there was no reaction. Marinette was worried Adrien may have gone into shock and was no longer aware of his surroundings, but then he gripped her hand suddenly, turning toward her with a tear-streaked face. Suddenly he began to cry out loud, crying tears he had held back for nearly a year when his mother first disappeared, and leaned in to her. Marinette pulled his head in, holding it against her chest, as she leaned her head on his. Together, the two of them sat and cried.

They sat there together from some time. Eventually, Master Fu walked past and left the mansion, though Marinette paid him no mind. As they sat their together, wordlessly pouring out their sorrow, she found herself thinking about their future together. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered why she thought she needed time. The two of them had been through so much together, both as civilians _and_ as superheroes. They had grown closer with both identities, coming to know one another's strengths as well as flaws, and it only made their love stronger. Yes, they had had some rough times, especially recently, but what couple didn't have a disagreement here and there?

Marinette came to a decision then. She no longer needed time: her and Adrien were meant to be together. She would be there to comfort him in his mourning, and when he was ready to move on, she would be there for him still. Together, forever.

Marinette kept her decision to herself for the time being. Right now was not the time for it, now was the time for mourning.


	62. Part 3 - Chapter 20 - Epilogue

A few weeks had passed since the fateful battle with Hawk Moth. After much tear-stained, emotion-driven deliberation, Marinette and Adrien decided not to turn Gabriel over to the authorities. With his miraculous captured, he was no longer a threat, but had to live with the guilt of everything he had done. That was deemed to be punishment enough.

Adrien couldn't bear to live at home with his father after that, though. He went to stay with Nino, saying he was running from home because he was mad at his father, but provided no more explanation than that. Nino was happy to allow his best friend to crash at his place until he was ready to go home.

Master Fu had succeeded in restoring Nathalie's health, guaranteeing her that there was no risk of her lapsing into a coma as Emilie had. She gratefully returned to her duties and provided support to Gabriel during the difficult times.

Adrien and Gabriel both were coming to terms with the fact that Emilie would soon be gone for good. Cat Noir often snuck into the house at night to visit his mother in the basement when his father wasn't around, trying to make up for lost time. Gabriel was working on fabricating a story of how he found his wife dead after she had been missing for so long, in order to allow for a burial without complications, to give them closure on the whole ordeal.

Marinette and Adrien then had to inform the public that the threat of Hawk Moth had been dealt with. As Ladybug and Cat Noir, they granted an exclusive interview to Nadja Chamack to inform the city that they were safe. They never revealed Hawk Moth's identity but assured the people that his miraculous was seized and that he was never going to threaten them again. A few days later, a parade was arranged in honor of the heroes to thank them for their service. Cat Noir finally got to meet the heroes behind the masks of Rena Rouge and Carapace, much to his surprise, when Ladybug delivered their miraculous to them so they could participate in the celebration.

Marinette and Adrien decided that their identities should remain a secret to others, even with Hawk Moth's defeat, as Master Fu allowed them to hold on to the miraculous. He told them that Paris had come to view them as symbols of hope and freedom and he didn't want to take that away. He also officially named Marinette as his successor as Guardian of the miraculous, making her identity even more vital to protect.

Finally, when things had settled down a bit, Adrien asked Marinette out on a date. By that time, Marinette's parents had finally forgiven him for breaking her heart the first time and allowed them to go out. As Adrien walked Marinette out of the house, he first took her hand and led her into the park.

Marinette felt her heart beating rapidly as they walked slowly down the path together. She still hadn't been there since the night of their first date. Though she had forgiven them and the two had grown together since then, it was difficult to remove the pain of that initial heartbreak. She could feel her whole body tense as they approached the bench.

"It's all right," Adrien said quietly, shooting her a smile, "You can trust me."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed with a shaky smile, feeling herself relax a bit.

The two sat down on the bench, the same one they sat on together so long ago. Marinette had her hair down again, though she was wearing a different dress this time. Adrien continued to hold her hand as he turned toward her with a nervous smile.

"Marinette," he started, "I really messed up last time we were here together, so let's try and do it right this time." Marinette felt her heart racing with excitement as he looked at her, holding her hand, getting lost in his emerald-green stare. "I'm in love with y…"

Adrien was interrupted midsentence by a police siren wailing nearby. The two turned as one to the nearby street to see a car racing down the road, a gunman leaning out the window and taking aim behind him. Shots were fired as the pursuing police car came into view, chasing the gunman.

As the two cars disappeared behind the buildings, their sirens still splitting the silent night, Marinette and Adrien looked to each other with a knowing smile. In unison, the two declared aloud, "Spots on! Claws out!" The magic of their miraculous immediately empowered them, turning them into the heroes of Paris, ready to save them from _anyone_ that would disturb the peace.

With their synchronized movements, the two leapt onto the roof of the nearby building, looking down at the high-speed chase in progress. They stood on the rooftop together for a moment, ready to leap into action.

"Ladybug," Cat Noir said, putting a hand on her cheek, "I love you." He pulled her in for a quick kiss.

"I love you, too," Ladybug smiled back, "Now it's time to save the day."

The two heroes jumped off into the night to save the day again, together.

FIN

* * *

Thus concludes my first fanfic. This has been a crazy and wonderful experience for me. Thank you for all of your favorites/follows/reviews, they have given me so much confidence in my writing skills and made this whole adventure so amazing for me! I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had a few other ideas for fics, but unfortunately I don't have time to write anything else right now. I have too many side-projects I'm working on atm, including writing and publishing my first book (which takes priority), so don't expect anything new from me for a while, but I hope to come back and write more here in the future. Thanks for joining me for this adventure, it's been miraculous!


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